Festive evenings

I noticed yesterday that it was completely dark outside in Ullapool by 4 p.m. In fact the sun had set just after 3.30 p.m! We have had oil delivered for the boiler and a big sack of logs delivered for the fire, so we are all fuelled up for the winter. I have also done a bit of Christmas shopping around the village. 
The wind and rain were so wild last night that when James and I were lying in bed we were woken by a spray of rain on our faces! We like to have the window open for fresh air when we sleep and even in winter we have it a wee bit open, but we have never been spritzed by rain before! The bed isn’t even right underneath the window; the rain must have been blown in horizontally. Needless to say James jumped out of bed and slammed the window shut. 
We were quite efficient in our packing and tidying and cleaning this morning and by 10.30 we had put the cats in the car with minimal fuss and were on our way south. This evening social butterflies James and I were out at different Christmas meet-ups; James was in Glasgow with friends and I was at my EK book club Christmas dinner. We both had enjoyably festive evenings. 

Wild and wet in Ullapool

The weather here in Ullapool has been appalling over the last few days; very rainy and very windy. The wind was blowing down the chimney so loudly that we had to turn up the volume on the television yesterday evening. However we have not been downhearted; it has been cosy in the cottage and we have been doing some cooking, reading and walking around the village when the rain lets up. In fact James doesn’t even wait for the rain to let up, he goes out for his couple of hours walk every morning up along Loch Achall no matter the weather and has now surpassed his annual steps record (from 2021) and is on target to have walked nine and a half million steps by the end of the month. 
On Saturday we had a very nice lunch with Alison and Hugh at the Storehouse near Dingwall, where they have a really excellent lunch menu and friendly efficient staff. Then after a visit to Simpsons Garden Centre in Inverness (which seemed to be the epicentre of Christmas decorations!) we went to the cinema to see Elf, our old favourite Christmas film! I can hardly believe that it’s now twenty-one years old and just as funny and joyful as ever. 

Gutters and Pies

 A cold bright morning so we decided to clear the gutters at the roof of the house. I held the ladder while James climbed up and down filling a bucket with leaves from the gutter. We moved the ladder along the length of the house until it was done, by which time James’ hands were like ice from the cold metal ladder and the cold vegetation in the gutter. He felt quite faint from the cold when he came indoors and needed to lie down for a short while. Just then a plane, an A400 Atlas, flew past and James was able to track it using his Flight Radar app. 
We set off to Lochinver and went for a walk at Leitir Easaidh (the all-abilities path at Little Assynt) and extended the walk to about 4 km. Then we had a tasty lunch of tomato soup at An Cala before buying some pies (of course!) to take home with us. We had pies for dinner and watched the last couple of episodes of Slow Horses Series 4 which is as good as ever. 

Winter sunshine in Ullapool

Yesterday we set off north to Ullapool, our first visit since September. It was a cold frosty morning and we started out in mist, which had dissipated by the time we reached Perth, although tendrils of mist continued to be swathed around the hills.   The branches and twigs of the leafless trees along the roadside were white with frost and looked very pretty. As the sun started to get lower we saw Ben Wyvis tinted a soft shade of blush pink and the snow on Beinn Dearg was flushed pink too. It was getting quite dark when we drove into Ullapool even though it was only 4 p.m. The cottage was in good order when we arrived and James soon got the fire blazing. Tom seemed very happy to be back in Ullapool and explored the cottage and garden, and Flora seemed fairly content as well. Today James did some gardening and I did a grocery shop and then we went for a walk around the village in the winter sunshine, and had lunch in the Cult Café. It’s nice to be back in Ullapool. 

Christmas Tree

We woke this morning to hear that Damascus has fallen and that President Assad has fled. * It’s strange to think that he worked as an optician in London before his brother died and he had to go home to Syria to become a brutal dictator like his Dad. I wonder if he wishes that his life had turned out differently. 
Today was a cold beautiful December day and we went to the Lodge Forest Visitor Cente (formerly the David Marshall Lodge) above Aberfoyle with Davie and Chanel to choose our Christmas trees. There were not many trees left but we chose two nicely shaped Nordman Fir trees before going for lunch in the café. Back at home I lit the fire in the lounge while James trimmed the tree trunk to fit its stand. James put the lights onto the tree and I added the tinsel and baubles. Flora was fascinated by the tree and watched us decorating it. Tom was also quite excited and rolled about to entice James to play fight with him. Davie and Chanel arrived round after putting up their own tree at home and we all had a curry and a very pleasant evening chatting by the fire. 

* Assad has turned up in Moscow. 

Return to Goodluck Hope

Our last day in London and it was wet and blustery, what a difference from yesterday’s blue skies. We had a leisurely start to the day and James went out to get pastries which we ate with Ally and Cat while watching boats go by on the river. Then we all headed to an art studio at Goodluck Hope with Ally and Cat to see a painting that they had commissioned; they had seen it online but of course wanted to see it in the gallery. We met the artist Ian who was really pleasant. The painting is gorgeous and they went ahead and purchased it. While it was being wrapped up we went across to the lovely wee Orchard Café for lunch, which we used to frequent when Ally and Cat lived in Goodluck Hope. It was nice to be back near their old gaff, of which I was very fond, although I love their Limehouse flat with its amazing views even more. I can hardly believe that they have been living there for two years already. James and I decided to walk back to the flat which was about 4 km, and we had time for a wee cup of tea with Ally and Cat before setting off to Heathrow airport for our flight home. There was a very drunk lady sitting beside us who had travelled to London for the day but hadn’t been able to leave the airport because the airline had lost her mobility scooter. She said that she still had a good time though! The flight was an hour late taking off which didn’t please us but there were a lot of delayed flights in front of us due to Storm Darragh, which has been affecting the west of the UK today. Our take off was a bit bumpy due to the wind but not too bad once we got up high. By 9.30 p.m. we were home with the cats, who were both heartwarmingly excited to see us.  

Curry in Brick Lane

We decided to go to Chelsea this morning, specifically to visit the Cricket Art Gallery which displays the work of an artist that I like. They only had a couple of her paintings but they added me to their mailing list. We wandered along the High Street where many of the shops were really quite upmarket, even the hardware shop where we bought a cute wee “Visitors” key tag for Ally and Cat, and a rather expensive nail brush. Then we had coffee and orange polenta cake in a trendy wee café called Kiss the Hippo. We were definitely the least trendy people there! We walked down to the river and onwards to Battersea Power Station, through Battersea Park with its Peace Memorial, and I spotted semi celebrity Spencer Matthews who was out running. It was a beautiful sunny day so we thought it would be a good opportunity to ascend the 109 lift to the top of one of the power station’s chimneys. This involved a bit of queueing and then we had to go into a sort of holding pen which had a fairly interesting exhibition about the history of the power station, before finally entering the lift which took us up to the top of the chimney. It was well worth the wait! The lift is made of glass and rises up above the top of the chimney to reveal 360 degree views of London. It was fabulous. The views of the city and river were great and we could see the Chelsea Barracks nearby, and even Canary Wharf in the distance. 
James expertly navigated us back into the city where we met Andrew for a quick coffee in Paul’s, just off Paternoster Square. We had a very pleasant chat before he headed back to work and we appreciated that he had taken time out of his busy day to meet us. 
We felt the need to go back to Ally and Cat’s flat for a rest before meeting Ally in Brick Lane for a curry. This evening was Cat’s office Christmas party so it was just three of us. Brick Lane was vibrant and buzzing on a Friday evening and Ally took us to Aladin’s where we had an absolutely delicious meal. Ally had promised us many celebrities in the restaurant but this evening there was not a one! However the food and service made up for it, the waiter even insisted on removing our poppadoms to replace them with more crispy ones! We had a great time and then Ally took us by underground to the Queen’s Head pub back in Limehouse which was a very traditional old-fashioned London pub. I loved it. There were many portraits of the late Queen on display and on the wall there were a couple of photographs from the 1990s of the Queen Mother pulling a pint at the pub and drinking it! We had a good old chat before heading back to Ally and Cat’s flat where James and Ally had a wee dram before bedtime. 

Dr Strangelove

James very kindly decided to buy me a new Apple Watch for my Christmas because the old one’s battery has worn out. We went to the Apple Shop on Oxford Street where it took ages to set up my new watch, mainly because I couldn’t remember my Apple password so I had to wait for an hour for a security reset. Nothing daunted, we went for a stroll to Selfridges while we waited and had a delicious light lunch in the Brasserie of Light Restaurant on the first floor. It was extremely busy for a Thursday lunch time but we managed to get a seat at the bar and enjoyed our lunch very much. Back at the Apple Shop with my reset password the watch was up and running in plenty of time for us to arrive at the Noel Coward Theatre to see Dr Strangelove. The play was very true to the film from the 1960s, which had starred Peter Sellers playing several characters. Steven Coogan did the same thing and he did it very well, with a good supporting cast. The trouble is, that I didn’t really like the film, which I saw many years ago, because I thought it was all too frenetic and repetitive. I had hoped that this new production might tackle the plot in a fresh, maybe updated, way rather than just reproducing the film. So it wasn’t my favourite play of this week in London, although I can’t fault the cast for that. Our London theatre chums Gordon, Morag, Sheena and Peter were also at the play, along with Gordon’s brother Alan, so we decided to go for a coffee afterwards together. I thought that it might be difficult to find a table for seven in the busy west end, but I needn’t have worried. Gordon spotted a quiet and pleasant wee café just along the road where we were welcomed in for coffee and were able to have a good chat about the play among other things. James and I then met Cat for dinner in a wee Italian café where the food was tasty although the service was very slow. Our hero Cat insisted that the service charged be waived before we headed back to the flat for a cup of tea. Ally joined us later, he had been at his office night out. 

Oedipus and Operation Mincemeat

This afternoon we went to the matinee of Oedipus which I have to say was absolutely excellent. Mark Strong and Lesley Manville were on top form and the play was intense, fascinating and ultimately harrowing. It was set in the modern day with Oedipus as a prime ministerial candidate having dinner with his family while waiting for the election results. The narrative principle of “Chekhov’s Gun” was employed very effectively! 
Our next stop was at the Boulevard Brasserie near Covent Garden where we met Gordon, Morag, Sheena and Peter for a pre-theatre dinner. The meal was good but the staff were a bit cheeky, first wanting us out by seven (although our booking stated that we had a two hour slot starting at 5.15) and then trying to shift us up to the outside area for our coffees. Sheena very politely and firmly said no to this, and we enjoyed our coffee at our table before heading to the tiny Fortune Theatre to see the very popular Operation Mincemeat. This is an unlikely musical based on the eponymous Second World War secret operation to convince the Nazis that the Allies were not about to invade Sicily, so that they would move their troops elsewhere. This involved planting false papers on a dead man who was then placed in the sea to wash up on the coast of Spain. The operation was ultimately successful and saved many lives. 
The musical was absolutely joyful! The five young actors sang and danced their hearts out, and it was very funny. We all enjoyed it and so did the rest of the audience. Back at Ally and Cat’s flat we had a cup of tea with them before bedtime. 

Cryptic creatures at the National Gallery

I’m not sure if I made the right decision to stay in a Premier Inn at Heathrow Airport Terminal 4 last night when we arrived for a wee festive break in London. It seemed to make sense because we didn’t arrive at Heathrow until 9.30 p.m. so why not sleep there and head into the centre of London in the morning? However I hadn’t realised what a long time the journey in the morning would take us. We took the 8.45 a.m. train on the Elizabeth line to Canary Wharf, and by the time we dropped off our bags at Ally & Cat’s and continued into the centre, we arrived at the National Gallery at about twenty to eleven, so it took a while! We just had time for coffee and a pain au chocolat before joining a Members’ tour which I had booked. 
The tour was called Cryptic Creatures, and it was about the animals in paintings. We started in the medieval area and the guide pointed out lots of dragons, lions, horses, dogs, fish, cows, donkeys, sheep and birds in various paintings. 
It was so interesting to hear the reasons that these animals were in the paintings and what they symbolised. For example there was a wee magpie on the roof in the Nativity by Piero della Francesca (1470 - 75), and of course magpies represent sorrow. In this case of course the sorrow would be in the future. There were wee sparrows in the painting too, which were only revealed when the painting was restored.
In the main galleries we saw a whale (looking rather sheepish and quite reconciled with Jonah who had his arm round it!) in The Coronation of the Virgin by Johann Rottenhammer (about 1600.) We saw lots of animals in Orpheus by Roelandt Savery (1628); horses, lionesses, more lions, stags, deer, a cockerel, dogs, swans, oxen, a camel, an elephant - they represented a paradise lost, beguiled by music. In Cognoscenti in a Room hung with Pictures (artist unknown, about 1620) a wee monkey is looking in a window as if mocking the rich people within an art gallery. Titian’s Bacchus and Ariadne (1520 -3) had two magnificent cheetahs (from the Duke of Ferrara who commissioned the painting and wanted to show off his menagerie) as well as Titian’s own wee dog, snakes, a donkey and an unfortunate decapitated donkey, apparently a victim of a bacchanalian party! And there were many more paintings with animals - it was a fascinating tour. 

Wicked

I went to see the new film Wicked with Chanel on Monday evening. It was great fun and I really enjoyed it although it is very annoying that they have split the musical into two films. This first one finished as Elphaba soared about the sky singing Defying Gravity. The next one will be released a year from now. Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande were both excellent. 
Today I reconnected with an old friend, Fiona. We used to have such a great time in our Developing Language classes at Glasgow University with favourite tutor Ernie and kept in touch for years. However we haven’t seen each other since just before Covid. We made up for it though! We caught up on lots of news over lunch at Angels in Uddingston. I was impressed with the quality of the food and the speedy service, and clearly so are lots of other people because it was busy on a Tuesday lunch time. 

Simple Pleasures

Yesterday we took delivery of our new washing machine. Our old one had been increasingly unreliable until this week it stopped working altogether. It was eleven years old so we reckoned it was time to purchase a new one. In this modern age of instant shopping we were able to choose, buy online and receive a new one within a couple of days. 
And today we purchased four new tires for the Landrover which pleases me because winter is coming the treads are getting worn down, and one of them has had a nick in the edge for ages; it has been checked and is safe, but I’ll be glad to see the back of it. 
This all led me to reflect, does enjoying such mundane things mean that I am getting old? I was certainly delighted this morning to get a place at the much coveted Aqua Aerobics (frequented almost exclusively by older ladies) at the sports centre! And I get quite excited when James makes me a nice cup of camomile tea in the evening. Mind you I have always enjoyed these simple pleasures! 

Sunshine and socialising

It was rainy on Monday morning so we had breakfast with Alison and Hugh and then James lit the fire in the lounge and we drank coffee and had a really nice chat. It has been great seeing Alison and Hugh this weekend. They set off northwards late morning and James and I headed up to Boots in East Kilbride to get our flu jabs. Jennifer has had flu for the past week and she says that it has been horrible, so James and I decided to book flu jabs; better safe than sorry. We had to pay because we are neither over 65 nor in a vulnerable group, but it was not expensive at £20 each.
Over the last few days I have noticed how early it’s getting dark. On the other hand I’m not feeling chilly any more, so I’m definitely used to Scottish winter again after our holiday. Yesterday I had a sunny walk in Pollok Park with Kathryn and Sheila, followed by coffee at the Burrell Collection. On a November Wednesday morning the restaurant was delightfully quiet. And then today I had a sunny drive down to Ardrossan to have lunch with Maggie, Libby and Wendy at  Cecchini’s. Unfortunately Helen was not able to come because she was at a funeral. We had a good laugh as usual and I listened to Gyles Brandreth’s Rosebud podcast on my way home. He was interviewing Timothy Spall and it was very interesting. 

The After Party

Tom woke me up at 6 a.m. yesterday morning by fighting with another black and white cat in the front garden; they were both yowling! I went outside and found the other cat standing over Tom who was lying on the ground. As I approached, the other cat retreated down the path. I was worried that Tom might be injured so I carried him inside but he seems to be perfectly ok. James says that lying down probably meant that he was being submissive to the other cat after losing the fight. I wish that Tom would stop this fighting because clearly he’s not very good at it!
Alison and Hugh arrived late morning and we all set off to Tommy’s 70th birthday party at Cathkin Golf Club. I think that it’s the first time I have been inside the club house and I was impressed; it’s very smart. We had a very pleasant afternoon; the meal was delicious and as well as chatting with Alison and Hugh there were some running club friends of Tommy and Carol also seated at our table, who were very friendly. Later we were invited back to Tommy and Carol’s for drinks. We called in at our house briefly first; Ally had just arrived home from a hill-walking day with Davie, and when we told him that we were going back out he said “Oh you’ve been invited to the after party!” which we thought was very funny, we are in with the in crowd! I had made a lasagne for supper but none of us were hungry after eating all afternoon, so Ally benefited from a hearty meal after his hill-walking. Along at Tommy and Carol’s we had a great evening and chatted with them and their friends and family, including the lovely John and Linda. They live near Edinburgh so they were staying overnight with the Keenans; Linda mentioned that she looked out of the window at about 7 a.m. in the morning and saw a black and white cat in the garden. Was it Tom’s black and white frenemy I wonder? 

Dreich Storm Bert

Storm Bert is proving to be rather dreich and miserable; it snowed during the night as predicted and has now turned to rain. However it’s nice and cosy in my study where I have been doing lots of admin and sorting things out. My mind has even turned towards Christmas and I have been working on the quiz for the Mince Pies outing, as well as updating the Christmas cards list. Ally has been working in Edinburgh and Glasgow this week so he has been staying with us, and it has been lovely to see him, he’s on good form and we have had some nice chats. He was supposed to be going hill-walking with Davie this weekend, but unfortunately the roads are too snowy north of Glasgow so they had to cancel. Nothing daunted, Ally booked tickets to see Rangers for himself, James and Davie. It was a draw and the three of them arrived home later very cold. However I had ramped up the heating in the house and set and lit a fire in the lounge, although fire expert James immediately set about improving it! The boys warmed up further with a Chinese meal which we ate with Marjory and Forrest and then we all enjoyed a convivial evening beside the fire. 

Chilly!

It’s so cold! Not snowy here yet (although it has been snowing up north and also in London) but a hard frost every morning and definitely a cold snap. To look on the bright side, this will help acclimatise us to Scottish winter and next week, after a predicted snow storm at the weekend, is forecast to be a bit warmer. 
James and I went to see Squeeze at the GRCH on Monday night; they were excellent as usual although understandably ageing - like their audience! 
I had an appointment in the Ophthalmology department at Hairmyres this morning; I was referred a while ago by Specsavers when I went to them with ingrown eyelashes. The young consultant ophthalmologist was very knowledgeable and inspired confidence; there is a procedure to remove lashes so that they don’t keep growing back. This would be good because I sometimes have difficulty seeing the lashes that I need to pluck out because they are so tiny, and I imagine that it will become even more difficult as I get older. On the other hand the procedure won’t be much fun! I have decided to go ahead and the consultant has added me to her waiting list. 
Then in the afternoon I had coffee with Ally Walker in Princes Square which was very pleasant, we had a good chat, she is such a positive person. 

Carmina Burana

Last night James and I went to the Royal Concert Hall to see Carmina Burana. We both love this powerful and joyful cantata by Carl Orff, and have seen it perhaps five times over the years, and we enjoyed it as much as ever. 

Earlier we had spent a lovely afternoon at Davie and Chanel’s house where we were also reunited with our Grand-Cat Skye. She is a delightful wee character and soon warmed up to us with the help of a few Dreamies. All cats seem to relish these popular cat treats!  Davie and Chanel were on good form and we had a nice chat. 

When we came home from the Royal Concert Hall we watched the last episode of the epic tv series Vikings, which has entertained us greatly over the last few months. There were 89 episodes in total and, although it was excellent, I don’t think that I’ll be committing myself to such a long set of series any time soon. 

Christmas Cake

Yesterday morning James and I went to South Lanarkshire Eastfield Sports Centre to rejoin it. It turns out that over 60s can purchase the “Activage” membership for the excellent price of £120 per year. This aims at keeping older people (us!) mobile, and includes membership of nine swimming pools and fifteen gyms around South Lanarkshire as well as all of the fitness classes. There are even additional perks like culture mornings when you can learn drumming or crafts, and buy one get one free coffees at various venues. We went for a swim and I remembered straight away why I left to join David Lloyd; the changing area is as dirty as ever, really in a terrible state of disrepair. Mind you, as James pointed out, the David Lloyd changing rooms aren’t that great either these days. Then this morning I went to a yoga class; it was really good and I felt myself stretching all the places that need stretched. 
In other news James and I made our Christmas cake yesterday afternoon. We were like a well-oiled machine, dividing up the tasks between us; I measured out the fruit and creamed the butter and sugar while James sifted the flour and spices and made the egg and treacle mixture. We mixed it all together vigorously and then cooked it for just over four hours on a low heat until a skewer came out clean. It smelled wonderful and looks good too. After it cooled down a bit we took it out of the tin, and now it is wrapped in grease proof paper and has had its first feed of brandy this evening. 
I’m in bed, still out of synch with the UK time. I’m going to bed at a reasonable hour but I still wake up several times during the night. 

November in Scotland

James and I lasted until about 8 p.m. before we both started to fall asleep sitting on the couch. We dragged ourselves upstairs and put ourselves to bed. I slept all night except for waking up every three hours or so; it’s like I was tired enough to sleep in British time but my body clock still thinks that I’m in New Zealand and that it’s day time. Much laundry was done today, mainly by James who had to fix the recurring fault on the washing machine first. The reason that he was able to do the laundry was of course that the suitcases were delivered about lunch time by DHL so we could unpack at last. I thought that the timing of the delivery was quite efficient. I also went out to do a few errands and the late autumn weather feels very damp and cold, hopefully I will soon get acclimatised to November. The cats have been very affectionate and have followed us around the house all day. I had my EK Book Club girls round in the evening, it was great to see them and we were hearing about Susan’s trip to Zambia. Tom and Floof were keen to join in the socialising in the lounge and they were so delightful with my guests that I was very proud of them! They strolled around the lounge graciously allowing themselves to be patted and admired. They even stood in the hall at the end of the evening while the ladies put on their jackets, and then went out of the front door with them to escort them off the premises. 

From Wellington to Cambuslang

On our last morning in New Zealand (Monday) we saw three Tuis watching us from a telephone line and singing loudly. It was as if they were saying goodbye. We had breakfast at Maranui Café in Lyall Bay before packing the last of our stuff. And so our journey homewards commenced, flying from Wellington to Auckland and then Auckland to Singapore. Despite the usual queuing through the airports everything progressed smartly. James and I wore compression socks for the first time and I think that they were effective because my calves didn’t feel tight after the long flights, which they sometimes do. There was quite a lot of air turbulence from time to time as we crossed Australia. I watched a film “Firebrand” about Catherine Parr, which was rubbish because it committed the cardinal sin of changing the facts of history, which I can’t stand. Our transition through the rather lovely Singapore airport went well and I was delighted that we had a row of two seats (without a third) on the next and longest leg from Singapore to Zurich. I was determined to get lots of sleep and I did; I think at least seven hours of the thirteen hour journey. Then the film Coco Avant Chanel was excellent which made up for my earlier film disappointment! When we arrived in London Heathrow this morning (Tuesday) we found out by message and email that our luggage had not made it onto our flight from Zurich in the short forty minute turnaround. We were advised that the luggage wouldn’t arrive in time for our flight to Glasgow so we filled out our details so that it could be delivered to us in due course. Our flight ended up being about an hour late and then had to have two attempts at landing because of fog at Glasgow; the pilot was using the automated landing system but he still didn’t feel that everything was right the first time. Back at home the cats were absolutely astonished to see us! We have had a fantastic holiday but it’s great to be home.  

Cycling at Days Bay

Our last full day in New Zealand and what a great day it has been! We had a leisurely morning including breakfast at Island Bay before meeting Jamie at Queen’s Wharf. We took an Uber from Island Bay and Jamie cycled from Burwah Street. We caught the wee ferry over to Days Bay, a pleasant half an hour on the water with great views all around Wellington Harbour. We collected the bikes that Jamie had hired for us and set off to cycle on the cycle track along the front of Eastbourne and along the Great Harbour Way to Pencarrow Upper Lighthouse. Excitingly, Jamie had hired electric bikes, something that I have never tried before. For some reason I have always felt that I should ride a purely leg powered bike or not at all, but after today I have totally changed my mind. The electric bike just gives you a wee boost, you still pedal and it feels just like a normal bike, but when there is a slope it sort of kicks in imperceptibly and you can cycle more easily. Heather and Ewan have recommended them to us so it was a fantastic opportunity to try them out. There are three powers, eco, normal and maximum; I used eco for most of the way and it was enough to make it all feel more relaxing, and yet still active. The cycle itself was fantastic, 22 km in total, out to the lighthouse and back. The path curved round several sandy bays, with volcanic rocks sticking out of the water. From the furthest point we could see Island Bay away in the distance. We treated ourselves to ice creams when we were waiting for the boat on the way back. 
Later we took Whisky for a walk and had pizza with Jamie and watched a film “Coda” which was excellent. When Kerry came home from work we had a wee chat and then it was time to say goodbye to her. It has been lovely to spend time with her especially at this exciting time in her and Jamie’s lives. Jamie then gave us a lift back to Island Bay and we said our farewells. It was very difficult to say goodbye, I will miss him so much. However I know that he is very happy with Kerry in New Zealand. 

Fantails at Korokoro

After breakfast we went for a walk at the dog friendly beach at Island Bay with Jamie and Whisky. (Kerry is working long shifts today and tomorrow.) Then after a coffee at Burwah Street we had lunch at a new (to us) Seashore Cabaret café in Lower Hutt which is delightful, overlooking the sea and with similar vibes to the Maranui Café in Lyall Bay.
Jamie took us for a walk along the nearby beautiful Korokoro Valley. The path through leafy forested valley reminded me just a little bit of Chatelherault Country Park, because of the trees and the river, but it is much more exotic, with Podocarpus conifers and Kohekohe trees, tree ferns and bushes with pink or yellow flowers. The Korokoro Stream supplies its water. This forest is special as most others in the area have been cut down for land development; it has probably survived because the river is a water supply for the area. 
Needless to say I soon overheated, and headed back down the valley while James and Jamie continued on to the higher dam. I felt very peaceful sitting on a bench listening to the woodland noises. Two fantails came down from the foliage to visit me, they were very cute; the fantail is favourite New Zealand bird.  
Later we went for dinner with Jamie to an Asian fusion restaurant called Koji; it was absolutely excellent and the flavours were delicious and very unusual. We had a lovely chat. Back at Burwah Street we were reunited with Whisky dog and James and Jamie had a wee dram before James and I walked back to our tiny Airbnb in Island Bay. 

Back to Wellington

We had a very early start today to catch our 07.45 plane from Fiji back to Wellington. We were able to check in at the hotel, so only had our luggage to drop off at the airport. The journey went very smoothly and I managed to get a couple of hours sleep on the plane, at least I think I did, it’s always quite hard to tell. We retrieved our other suitcase from Jamie and Kerry’s, and after being greeted by an exuberant and welcoming Whisky dog, Jamie gave James and I a lift to our new and very tiny wooden Airbnb on the hill high behind Island Bay. Although it is very small (tiny houses are a popular eco friendly option in NZ) it is nice and clean with everything we could need, and it has gorgeous views over Island Bay. We walked down to the Beach House Café for coffee and cake on the terrace, and then James went for a walk while I went down to sit on the beach in the sunshine. Although it didn’t seem all that windy, the wind was whipping up the sand and it was getting into my ears and hair, so I retreated back to the Airbnb and sat on a beanbag on the decking and read my book. Update on Tom - he has been to the vet and has been given antibiotics and anti-inflammatories. It turns out that the claw is still there, under a large burst abscess. I can only assume that Tom has been fighting another cat nearby who is inflicting these recent injuries on him. Then when Davie was taking him back home, Tom urinated copiously on his car, so Davie has had to clean and disinfect the seat! This is above and beyond the call of duty!
Jamie picked up James and me by car and took us to Burwah Street where we had a curry and watched a film “The Hit Man” which was very amusing. I got some lovely cuddles from my Grand-dog Whisky. 

Spa and cocktails

Back to the pool today after our usual delicious breakfast. Kerry very generously treated me to a fantastic spa treatment, and it was great. Kerry came too and we were treated in the same room which was very companionable. First of all we were given a scoop of mango sorbet, and then we had our back massages side by side. I noticed that the masseuse kept homing in on my sore shoulder, which has been getting worse recently, even though I hadn’t mentioned it. The massage was wonderful, and when it was time to turn over for my facial I pointed at my shoulder and said “How did you know?” She smiled and said “As soon as I touched your shoulder I could feel all the knots and tension.” My shoulder has been feeling much better since the massage. The facial was lovely too and we were given wee cups of lemon tea in the lounge area afterwards. Kerry and I agreed that we felt very relaxed. We had lunch at the poolside and then even more relaxation and reading, sustained by cocktails and mocktails delivered to our sun loungers. Davie phoned from Scotland to tell us that Tom seems to have lost a claw; his paw is bloody and although he isn’t limping, he keeps lifting his paw up when he is sitting. Davie said that it looks very sore but that Tom is “putting a brave face on it!” He is planning to take Tom to the vet. At tea time we went round to Denarau Harbour again, where we had drinks at Lulu’s followed by dinner at Bonefish. Jamie and Kerry gave me hairpins decorated with Fiji flowers, I love them! The food was superb; I think it was the best meal of our holiday. We will be sorry to leave beautiful Fiji tomorrow. 

Dancing on the beach

We all had a relaxing morning at the adult pool before our big night out later! We relaxed, swam, read our books, and gazed at the impossibly beautiful views of the South Pacific. I took part in the Aqua aerobics again, and floated about in the pool. Mid afternoon we were picked up for our trip to Likuri Island, aka Robinson Crusoe island. An hour long bus journey took us to a jetty on Tuva River, where two boats were waiting to take us another half hour to the island. The river was thickly bordered by mangrove trees with their roots hanging down into the water; we were reminded of the film Apocalypse Now! It was nearly dark when we stepped on to the sandy beach and were ushered to tables around a central area, with a handy bar nearby. The evening began with a Kava ceremony followed by a hearty dinner which had been baked in an earth oven for several hours. I was gratified by the variety of tasty vegetables which accompanied the meat and fish. 
I’m usually a bit ambivalent about cultural displays for tourists, I sometimes feel awkward as if I’m intruding on other people’s traditions. However in this case the dancers were so excellent, and the host so friendly and humorous, that it was a really great experience. It was interesting to see the older experienced dancers compared to the young extremely energetic ones! There was a display of fire walking, a bonfire on the beach which had us all dancing, and finally a display of fire dancing which was very skilled and entertaining. Back in the boats we went on our journey back to our hotel, this time in complete darkness apart from the small lights of the boat; we could see wee bugs flying past briefly illuminated in the light, and silvery fish leaping out of the water. 
I suppose I should mention that by the time we arrived on the island the polls had closed in the American Election (they are nearly a day behind NZ because of the international date line so it was still the 5th November in the USA) and Trump was leading in the results. When we checked our phones again later back at the hotel it was all over - Donald Trump has beaten Kamala Harris and will now be the American President for a second term, four years after he was voted out of office. Oh well, it’s hard to understand how he won, both politically and personally, but as I said eight years ago, the people of America have voted so there’s no use grousing about it. 

Schooner Island

Today we went on a boat trip to Schooner Island, about an hour and a half by boat (the Whale’s Tale) from Denarau Harbour. We were served breakfast on the boat, with unlimited drinks including champagne. Schooner Island is a proper desert island! It is tiny, and consists completely of white sand with wee bits of coral in it. After a Kava welcome ceremony we grabbed snorkels and masks and followed the guide out to the reef. It was absolutely amazing; there are not enough superlatives to describe it! We saw so many brightly coloured fish; hundreds and hundreds of black and white zebra fish, and also zebra fish with yellow stripes instead of white. There were tiny bright blue fish, iridescent multi-coloured fish, blue starfish, and lots more. The guide gave us bread which we held under the water in upturned hands and the zebra fish came swarming in to eat it; the feel of their wee mouths bumping against my hands as they scoffed the bread was amazing. 
Lunch was in big airy wooden hut in the middle of the island and then James and Jamie went snorkelling again while Kerry and I read our books on a couple of the sun loungers that were scattered around in the shade of thatched shelters. I went for another swim and gazed around at the little waves lapping on the sand. The water was so warm - like a bath! And the colour of the sea was a beautiful azure blue.
We set off back towards Denarau late afternoon and sat up on the poop deck enjoying the views. As we passed some mangrove trees we saw a flying fish jumping along in and out of the water. 
We had a convivial dinner later at the hotel’s Asian restaurant and chatted about our adventures. 

Bula!

We woke up in beautiful Fiji with the beach and sea outside our window. A hearty and excellent breakfast ensued before we all nipped to reception to book a couple of excursions over the next four days. And then we all headed to the main pool to chill out, swim and read. An aqua aerobics class was just starting which was great fun, the Fiji music was great and we all had to do a routine and then shout Bula! Cocktails and mocktails by the pool followed, with exotic birdsong all around us and the beach just beyond the pool. There are lots of mynah birds and some bulbuls with tufts on their heads. 
In the evening we all walked round to Denarau Harbour, an easy thirty minute stroll. We looked around the smart clothes and souvenir shops, which looked as if they were aimed at people from cruise ships and luxury yachts, and then had dinner at one of the restaurants on the harbour front. 

Earthshine

James and I checked out of our Airbnb and then collected Jamie from the airport at 10. After dropping him at home we had breakfast at the Island Bay Beach House (of course!) There were huge waves sweeping into the bay; banks of turquoise water swelling up and then sloping down, crashing against the rocks. Spectacular. We took an Uber with Jamie and Kerry from Burwah Street to the airport and caught the 13.35 plane to Fiji. When boarding was announced the Air Fiji asked us if we were ready to fly to paradise! We had amazing views of Island Bay as we climbed up into the air, we could see the waves clearly. It took about three hours to fly from Wellington to Fiji, and after going through arrivals and biological security we got to the hotel at about 5.30 p.m. The Hilton is a long hotel with lots of different white painted villas and buildings. Our rooms are next to each other and they are lovely; facing on to the long, sandy beach. We went for a stroll along to the adult pool where we all had a swim before dinner. We saw a mynah bird sitting on the grass near us, and another one on the roof of a building. The air and the water were so warm, it was idyllic, and the sky was blue and pink and orange as the sun set. Dinner was excellent and we had a good chat before retiring to bed somewhat exhausted after our journey. The moon was a thin crescent, lit at the bottom rather than the side with its “horns” pointing upward. I could see the rest of the moon as a pale glow; this is called Earthshine.

Wellingtonians

We had a lovely Wellington day today. It has worked well spending a fortnight in this friendly and vibrant city, getting to know the area quite well. James and I had breakfast in our favourite Island Bay Beach House Café, sitting outside looking at the sea and the snow capped mountains of the South Island. We had a pleasant day walking around Wellington harbour area and meeting Kerry, Kevin and Jenny for coffee at Beach Babylon. In the afternoon we did some packing; one suitcase for Fiji and one to be left at Jamie and Kerry’s house in Wellington. After a very tasty dinner at Burwah Street made by Kerry we headed back to the Airbnb for a cup of tea and I phoned Jennifer for a nice chat and then we watched an episode of Vikings. I was sorry to hear on the news that Janey Godley has died today back in Scotland at the age of only 63. She kept us all going during the lockdowns in 2020 and 2021 with her hilarious voiceovers of Nicola Sturgeon’s daily Covid updates. 

A Swim at Freyburg Pool

This morning Jamie and Kerry were at work and James felt full of the cold, so James had a walk to Lyall Bay and back and then a rest at the Airbnb. I drove into town and met Jenny and Kevin at the Freyburg swimming pool on the harbour front. Kevin went to the gym and Jenny and I went for a swim. It’s a long pool at 33 metres and very bright and airy, and I enjoyed my swim very much. Jenny and I then popped up to the hot tubs from where we had a great view over the sea, but they were so hot that I had to keep dipping in briefly and then sitting up on the edge! I had a coffee with Jenny and Kevin sitting outside at the wee café beside the beach, it was a lovely location. 
Then off I set on an errand. Jamie needed to leave work at lunch time and get his car to a Panel Beaters in Upper Hutt and then to Wellington Airport by 2 p.m. to catch a flight to Christchurch. So I drove about forty minutes to Upper Hutt and met Jamie there, he dropped off his car and we drove back to Wellington and to the airport. We got there ten minutes before check-in closed and Jamie got his plane! 
Later we had pizzas at Burwah Street with Kerry, Kevin, Jenny and the two dogs Luna and Whisky. Whisky is fascinated by Luna! Another lovely evening. 

Whitireia Park

Jamie and Kerry were back at work today and Whisky was going out with his dog walker for the second time, so James and I were footloose and fancy free. When we drove down to the seashore at Island Bay we could see the South Island very clearly after yesterday’s rain. We had a yummy breakfast at Maranui Café in Lyall Bay, the views over the sea were stunning. 
We then decided to go to for a walk to Whitireia Park near Porirua, about forty minutes north west of Wellington. We had such a lovely sunny and windy walk there. The sea was turquoise with long waves sweeping in. There were two wing surfers holding butterfly shaped sails, dashing across the water. Their surf boards were rising right out of the water with only the fins touching the sea. Even more impressive was a kitesurfer who was scudding across the waves and then when the wind caught his parachute he was lifting right up into the air, maybe about 20 metres high. He must be very skilled. Anyway, James and I walked along the coast to a beautiful beach and then made our way up quite a steep grassy track which took us along the edge of the cliffs, and eventually down to the Carved Maori Pou Statue which overlooks the bay. 
Later Kevin and Jenny arrived in Wellington and the six of us went for a celebratory engagement dinner to Kisa in the town centre. The menu was Middle-Eastern tapas and it was absolutely delicious. Jamie and Kerry were so happy and we had a great evening. 

Pizzas at the Empire Cinema

Whisky and I were having a delightful morning cuddle on the couch when we were amazed by an extremely heavy downpour of rain. I mean really heavy; it was drumming on the roof of the house! James and I went to the Spruce Goose for breakfast and got five pink peonies for Kerry at a wee flower shop in Lyall Bay. By the time our newly engaged couple Jamie and Kerry arrived back at lunchtime the sun had come out and we were able to eat lunch in the garden. What a change in the weather! James and I walked to Island Bay later and it was like a summer’s day; I sat on the beach to read my book and James went for a walk along the coast. I was mesmerised by the beauty of the waves. 
Unfortunately James has caught my cold and was feeling a bit rough so he wasn’t hungry for dinner and decided to have an evening at the Airbnb. Jamie was working so that left Kerry and me to have a girls’ dinner together. It was extremely nice to spend some girl time with my son’s fiancée! We had pizzas at the Empire Cinema Café and they were delicious, and we had a lovely chat about the engagement and future wedding plans. At my request Kerry had brought the leftover sandwich from lunch time and I took it back to the ailing James with a couple of slices of my pizza. He was hungrier than he had thought so they were a welcome supper for him! 

Exciting news from Dunedin

This morning we took Whisky for a walk and then had our usual breakfast at the Beach House Café in Island Bay, where we are becoming regulars! We went into town to visit the Wellington War Memorial park which was very impressive, the older monument is currently covered in scaffolding but the new part is very impressive in chunky red stone with New Zealand designs on it. We also had a quick visit to the smart supermarket Moore Wilson’s and had coffee across the street at Café L’Affare. Then we headed back to Jamie and Kerry’s house to spend a very rainy afternoon with Whisky, cuddled up on the couch. We were just about to go out for another walk when the phone rang; it was Jamie and Kerry video calling us from a hot tub at their hotel in Dunedin. Kerry was wearing the most beautiful diamond ring - they are engaged! We did know in advance that Jamie had planned this lovely surprise for Kerry, hence our dog-sitting duties from Monday to Wednesday. Jamie proposed to Kerry on their favourite beach where they went on their first date. How romantic! He even arranged for a friend to slip down to the beach to take photos! They were both so happy, and we are absolutely delighted for them. After our walk with Whisky we went to the Tuesday night pub quiz at the Sprig and Fern where we came second last; we named ourselves “The Bairns” because the bar man we were chatting to comes from Falkirk, he heard the name being called out by the quizmaster and was very pleased! Back at the house we spent lots of time playing with Whisky until we were all tired out! 

Wrights Hill Fortress

Jamie and Kerry set off early on Monday morning to Dunedin for a couple of nights. This was for a very special reason of which more tomorrow. James and I were therefore left in charge of Grand-dog Whisky. Jasmine had stayed overnight at the house so she took care of Whisky until we arrived at about 10 a.m. and took him for an outing by car. James had discovered that Wrights Hill Fortress happened to be open on Monday (Labour Day) - one of only four days a year that it is open. So it seemed like an ideal opportunity to visit. These underground tunnels were built during the Second World War as a defence in case New Zealand was invaded. The tunnels link war shelters, gun emplacements and an engine room. The fort never saw action, fell into disrepair and was restored in the 1980s. The pleasant volunteer who sold us our tickets mentioned that dogs are welcome but that they put rat poison in the tunnels so we shouldn’t let him sniff anything. I immediately decided that it would be an excellent idea not to take Whisky down there at all! James happily went by himself and Whisky and I socialised above ground with legions of dog lovers of all ages. I took Whisky up to the Lookout Point, which had amazing views all over Wellington, and James joined us there. In the evening we ate pizzas, took Whisky for another short walk, and relaxed watching television. 

Makara Beach

Jamie was off work on Saturday and Kerry was sleeping between night shifts, so Jamie met us at the Beach House Café in Island Bay for brunch and we had a really good chat. The weather was a bit rainy, so at Jamie’s suggestion we went to the Dr Who exhibition in the town centre, which was great fun. It was a good exhibition with lots of replicas of various monsters, and it was very popular. We did a bit of shopping and then decided to watch a couple of episodes of the new (from earlier this year) series of Dr Who. I haven’t watched Dr Who for ages and I was pleasantly surprised at how good this series is; Ncuti Gatwa is excellent as the doctor. When Kerry got up we ordered in a curry and had a lovely chat. 
This morning (Sunday) Kerry was sleeping after her night shift; James and I had breakfast again with Jamie at the Beach House Café before collecting Whisky from the house and heading for a new beach, Makara Beach, which has a coastal walkway. It was stunning, with sweeping waves and piles of driftwood on the shore. It also had lots of low shrubs with pretty pink daisy-like flowers with yellow middles, known as the New Zealand ice plant. On the way home we had coffee and scones at the friendly Café Aro in the Aro Valley. Of course the best bit of all this was spending time chatting with Jamie, it’s so nice to be with him. Later on we went to the Parrotdog Bar with Jamie, Kerry, Jasmine and Theo. It’s a casual and dog friendly pub with a simple but tasty menu, so Whisky came too, and we had a convivial evening before Kerry went home to get ready for her last night shift. 

Windy Wellington

Today was windy, very windy! James and I walked down to the Beach House Café and I was honestly nearly blown off my feet once or twice! It was sheltered on the decking so we were able to sit outside and look at all of the waves on the water. We then went for another walk at Wellington Harbour; this time the waves were lashing onto the walkway and we got splashed several times; we had coffee at Beach Babylon, where we remembered that Jamie had taken us on our last visit to Wellington. James decided to extend his walk and I retraced my steps to collect the car; I drove along the coast road for what seemed like ages before I caught up with him at Evans Bay, he had walked a long way. 
We spent the evening eating pizza with Jamie & Kerry’s friends; Emma, and James and Sam. They are all doctors and were great company, it was a very friendly and fun evening. Kerry started her first of three night shifts at 10 p.m. so we headed home before she set off. 

Katherine Mansfield

I had a rather mixed day yesterday. In the morning we decided to walk along the coast, from Island Bay round to Lyall Bay. It was a really beautiful walk; the sea was the most amazing shade of dark blue and there were sandy bays, rocks and islands to look at. It was only 6 km to the Spruce Goose at the airport end of Lyall Bay, where we stopped for coffee. This is where things took a bit of a downturn for me. I have a cold, always annoying, but I started to feel really nauseous and I wasn’t hungry for a cake, a bad sign for me! James was happy to walk back along the coast while I hung about the café watching the planes take off from the airport and surfers catching the waves in the bay. James collected me by car and we returned to the apartment where I went for a sleep while James took our lovely Whisky for a walk. However when I woke up later I still felt really unwell and sorry for myself, so reluctantly I messaged Kerry to say that I would stay in bed in the evening and James would come round alone. I was so sad about missing time with Jamie and Kerry but I think that it was a good call because after getting myself ready for bed I slept from about 8 p.m. right through to the morning! 
The good news is that I awoke much refreshed this morning and James and I walked round to the Beach House Café at Island Bay for breakfast. It was a windy day and the sea was covered in white capped waves, with spray being whipped off them by the wind. But it was sheltered enough on the café terrace to sit outside and watch the ferries go past in the distance. I love it there. 
James and I then drove to Katherine Mansfield’s house in Thorndon, which used to be a Victorian residential area of Wellington but has been partially bisected by the motorway. Katherine was born here in 1888 and lived in the house until she was five years old, when the family moved to the countryside suburb of Karori for a while. Although she left New Zealand when she was in her teens and did not return apart from a brief visit when she was nineteen, many of her stories reflect her childhood experiences, and the first short story that I read by her was “The Prelude” based on her family’s move to the countryside when she was a small girl. I loved that atmospheric story, which I felt captured an episode of family life really well, and I went on to read much more of her writing. Her life was uncompromising and exciting and was tragically cut short by tuberculosis when she was only thirty-four. Needless to say I had a wonderful time looking around the house and James won a lot of brownie points for coming with me even though he has hardly heard of Katherine Mansfield. He did once read “The Daughters of the late Colonel” on my recommendation, but he didn’t enjoy it, I think that it’s excellent but was perhaps not the best one to recommend because it’s very downbeat. 
We moved the car to the harbour front and went for a pleasant walk and a coffee, then later we went to the Sprig and Fern with Jamie and Kerry and Whisky, where we got delicious Greek food from the van outside and ate it with the drinks from the bar. 

Fish and Chips on Princess Beach

We woke to another beautiful sunny morning, and walked to the Beach House Café at Island Bay where we sat outside for breakfast. The setting and the breakfast were both superb. We had fantastic views across the blue sea towards the South Island where we could see mountains in the distance, one of which was still snow-capped. We watched the stately progress of several inter island ferries crossing in both directions. Then we went for a shopping trip into the city. James needed sandals and Jamie had recommended Teva sandals, a pair of which James duly purchased and found to be very comfortable. Jamie had also recommended that I buy a t shirt from Macpac which has cooling technology, and anyone who knows me will know that I have an unfortunate tendency to overheat! We found said t shirts and I bought a nice pale blue one. We then had a pleasant walk around part of the harbour, which we recognised from last year, and a restoring cup of tea. 
Jamie and Kerry collected us in their car at tea time; they had picked up fish suppers and took us to Princess Bay. We set up camp on the sandy beach and ate our delicious dinner, which tasted even better in the fresh air. It was a perfect Spring evening and as we watched the sun set over the hills, Jamie lit his portable fire pit which gave out a surprising amount of heat. We had a lovely chat and a great evening. 

Whisky’s Highland Coo

On Monday Jamie and Kerry were at work so in the morning James, Whisky and I went for brunch at the wee Empire Cinema in Island Bay, then strolled down to the beach. We had lots of stops so that Whisky wouldn’t get over-tired because he is still just a puppy. When we got back to the house he was very excited and kept running around, bringing his toys to show us, and running in and out of the back door, then he had a nap on James’ lap for a while. Whisky’s newest toy is a Highland Cow sent to him by his cousin, our grand-cat Skye, all the way from Scotland! Skye had even signed a card welcoming Whisky to the family - her signature was a paw print in blue paint, which apparently caused a bit of mess at Casa Anderson Uddingston! It was so thoughtful of Davie and Chanel, and Whisky, Jamie and Kerry were thrilled. 

At about 3 p.m. it was time for James and I to move to our Airbnb just down the road in Derwent Street, so Whisky went into his crate for a proper rest. We are very happy with our little apartment which has a small garden to sit out in. We know that we are very welcome at Jamie and Kerry’s, and we will be staying with them again at the end of our holiday, however they both work full time and James and I thought that since we will be in Wellington for a fortnight, it would be nice for them to come home to a quiet house after a long day at work. By the time we unpacked and went to the supermarket it was almost time to start preparing Jamie and Kerry’s dinner; not that it needed much preparation since we had a simple Greek theme with chicken for James and Jamie and fried tofu for Kerry and me, wee potato gratins, pitta bread, olives, tsatsiki and hummus. We had a convivial evening while Whisky napped in the car after his puppy training class. 

Tui in Greytown

I had a really good night’s sleep in our little cabin but woke at 6 a.m. absolutely wide awake. We’re not quite on NZ time yet and keep feeling tired in the middle of the day. There was a Tui perched on a branch beside the living area when we were having coffee, it was so beautiful with its blue and brown plumage and its tuft of feathers at its throat which looked like a pom pom. In the morning we went for a walk around Greytown and had brunch. Whisky continued to attract many admirers, everyone just loves him, and he’s a very loving boy. Greytown has lots of independent clothes and gift shops and we did a bit of browsing before setting off back across the mountains to Wellington. Whisky was exhausted after his couple of hours walking around Greytown and was soon fast asleep in the car, snuggled into Kerry’s lap. We had a relaxing sunny Sunday afternoon back at Jamie and Kerry’s house followed by a barbecue which was fantastic, especially Kerry’s delicious potato salad. 

Everybody loves Whisky

We woke much refreshed and after a breakfast of yummy pastries from Jamie and Kerry’s local bakery we drove to Martinborough over the mountains, stopping briefly at the Remutaka Crossing Lookout. The area around Martinborough is full of vineyards and is very pretty. We had coffee at a wee deli in Featherston before heading to our first winery; Nga Waka Vineyard. The people there were very friendly and Whisky was made to feel very welcome; he met a couple of other dogs in whom he was very interested, and was much admired by other customers. After James, Jamie and Kerry had enjoyed their wine tasting I took over the driving and we headed to our second winery, the popular Poppies, which we visited last year. This time, after the wine tasting, we had lunch of two amazing platters, one omnivore and one vegetarian. Poppy herself came out to admire Whisky, and he attracted a great deal of female attention. On we went to Greytown where we checked into our accommodation for the night; Plum Tree Studios. Jamie is very good at booking accommodation and he outdid himself again; we had two gorgeous little cabins with a separate living area and washrooms. We settled in before going out for dinner to The Runholder an absolutely beautiful, spacious restaurant set on the Te Kairanga and Martinborough vineyards. The food was amazing and the setting was spectacular. 

Journey to New Zealand

James very kindly upgraded our flights from Zurich to Hong Kong to Premier Economy and it made all the difference; the seats reclined quite a lot and there were footrests which rose up as the seat reclined. Did that mean I got plenty of sleep? Well I’m not sure, because even though I was very comfortable I was quite wakeful perhaps because we had a hearty dinner just before we tried to sleep. We arrived in Hong Kong Chek Lap Kok airport just as the sun was setting. The next part of our journey from Hong Kong to Auckland also went smoothly and we tried to get as much sleep as possible although the plane was quite hot and stuffy. We arrived at about midday New Zealand time. Jamie was waiting for us at Auckland Airport and it was wonderful to see him. He took us to the Air New Zealand lounge which was very cool and comfortable and we caught up on news for a couple of very pleasant hours before our last of our five flights; from Auckland to Wellington. Soon we arrived in Jamie and Kerry’s beautiful home in Berhampore, where we were reunited with lovely Kerry. We also met our grand-dog Whisky for the first time! He is a liver spotted five month old Dalmatian puppy; he’s very cute and Jamie and Kerry are absolutely besotted with him. Kerry made us a delicious supper of pasta and by the time we had finished that, James and I were like zombies and Jamie and Kerry sent us off to bed, where we fell asleep instantly. 

Setting off to New Zealand

I had an interview yesterday morning for the Children’s Panel. Ally W is already a panel member and she told me about what it involves, and that sparked my interest. I found out more about it, went to an information evening and duly applied. The interview went well, although I inevitably felt that I could have explained a few things better, and they will let me know if I’ve been successful in November. When I left the Council Offices in Almada Street I felt light-hearted. I had spent quite a bit of time preparing for my interview so now I felt free as a bird. 

After a celebratory lunch of potato scones I did admin, tidying, double-checked the contents of my case, and posted some letters. Flora came up onto the bed so that I could pat her as I went to sleep, I’m sure that both cats knew that we are going away because of the big cases being packed. 

This morning we said goodbye to the cats; Tom made himself scarce after he had his breakfast, no doubt wary in case we intended to take him with us, and Flora accompanied us to the steps outside the front door, did a poo in the flowerbed and watched us leave. I will miss them very much. We are now on the plane about to set off on the first leg of our journey, London to Heathrow on BA. James is doing his sudoku and I’m going to continue reading A Place of Greater Safety by Hilary Mantel. 

Blog editing complete

Today I finished the blog editing / proof reading project which I started in March - it has taken me much longer than I thought! I felt a great sense of satisfaction because it has been a lot of work and now my blog can be printed. Just one copy, for my descendants. I have also packed my case for our holiday to New Zealand to see Jamie. We will be setting off on Wednesday morning and I’m getting very excited. In the afternoon I popped over to have a pleasant coffee with Heather in Lenzie. It was a beautiful day with very bright blue skies. 
And in the evening we had a lovely video call with Ally and Cat, who are just back from a long weekend in Prague as part of their project to visit every country in Europe before they turn thirty-one in the spring! This weekend Andrew was with them and they had a great time. 

Birthday shopping and Alex Salmond

Today was a very rainy day but strangely interspersed with blue skies and sunshine. When one of the very heavy bouts of rain came on in the morning, Floof came shooting in through the cat flap; she must have been very nearby because she was hardly wet at all. Then both cats went over to the French windows and stared at the rain in amazement and some alarm. 
Alison T came round for coffee in the morning and it was great to see her. And after lunch we met up with Davie & Chanel at the Outdoor Experience to buy presents for their birthdays, which are both this month while we will be in NZ. Both presents had a hill-walking theme, because Davie and Chanel are going to walk the West Highland Way next week. We had a cup of tea with them and a good chat. Later in the afternoon we heard that Alex Salmond has died at the age of sixty nine. Not very old at all. I remember seeing him outside the Eden Court in Inverness in the late 1980s, not long before he became leader of the SNP for the first time. He was a striking figure, full of the joys, and was enjoying being the centre of attention. 

The River Café Café

James and I went to the recently opened “River Café Café” this morning, a pleasant walk from our Hammersmith Premier Inn. The River Café have opened this bright wee café just across from the restaurant; it has both indoor and outdoor seating and we both enjoyed our breakfasts. Then we walked along the river to Hammersmith Bridge which is being extensively refurbished. It’s still open to pedestrians though so we crossed over and back again. The area is anttractive along beside the river. James set off for the airport to head home, and I set off to Euston Station by underground. My journey went smoothly and I was soon on the train speeding north, however James was not so lucky. Despite arriving at the airport in plenty of time, the queue for security was the longest that he had ever seen, and he ended up missing his flight. He had to rebook for the 4.15 p.m. flight and I actually arrived home about fifteen minutes before him! 

Juno and the Paycock

I had a good sleep in the Hammersmith Premier Inn and headed to Soho for brunch with Gordon in a wee Australian café called Scarlett Green. I was very excited to see Juno and the Paycock at the nearby Gielgud Theatre, and it didn’t disappoint! Mark Rylance was excellent as lazy fantastist “Captain” Jack Boyle, and although the story was tragic in many ways, it had funny moments and a note of hope for the mother and daughter who found strength in each other. J. Smith-Cameron was just as good as the matriarch and the rest of the cast were strong too. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Gordon and I then made our way to the Royal Albert Hall where we met up with James who had flown to London at lunch time. We had dinner at Café Verdi which was very pleasant, and then the boys went to their David Gilmour concert. It’s just as well that I was there because it turned out that one of the concert attendees ID had to match that of the person who booked the tickets, I suppose to make it more difficult to resell the tickets. So Gordon and I had to go over to the box office, who quickly authorised Gordon to go in. I then consulted Google maps and took a bus from right outside the Royal Albert Hall to Hammersmith Bus Station, and walked five minutes to the Premier Inn. I was pleased with my navigation. 

Dinner with Ally

I got comfortably settled in my reserved seat on the 10.38 Tain from Glasgow Central to London Euston this morning. However the train did not set off. Instead there was an announcement that very sadly someone got hit by a train this morning at Preston, which meant that all of the Avanti trains on the west line were delayed indefinitely. We were advised to take a train to Edinburgh and then a LNER train to London Kings Cross. So that’s what I did, and caught the 1 p.m. train at Waverley. One of the other passengers had told me that the LNER trains are nicer than Avanti trains, and this did seem to be the case. It helped that the train wasn’t too busy, and soon I was being treated to sea views as we journeyed down the east coast past Berwick upon Tweed. However there was a further delay; the train stopped because of an unspecified fault just north of Darlington. Luckily it was fixed fairly quickly and we arrived in London just after 6 p.m. 

I no longer had time to go to my Premier Inn in Hammersmith to drop off my rucksack, so I decided put it on my back to walk the forty minutes to St Paul’s to stretch my legs after the long train journey. I arrived in good time at the Ivy Asia and met Ally at the bar. It was very busy considering it’s a Tuesday, I saw several people being turned away. Our meal was absolutely delicious and we had the best table in the restaurant, a wee curved booth at the window with a view of St Paul’s Cathedral. I had a lovely mocktail to start with called Rose of the Orient, made with lychee, rose, raspberry and orange blossom soda. It was bliss. Ally’s cocktail was called the Ohara, made with Ketel One vodka, strawberry, hibiscus, yuzu, elderflower, soda and Prosecco. I think it’s named after the town in Japan rather than the Irish surname! We also had a great chat about anything and everything and it was a splendid evening. In the way to the underground station, Ally showed me a pond which had a perfect reflection of St Paul’s Cathedral in it. 

Peaky Blinders Ballet

I have been having a social time this week; a coffee with Linda P on Wednesday, and lunch with Christine and Gerry and James on Thursday. It’s the first time that we have seen Gerry since he had a stroke, and it was reassuring to see him looking well. It’s probably due to his high level of fitness that the stroke wasn’t even worse. However he has serious issues with his eyesight which he hopes will improve over the next few months. We had a really nice chat. I have also been doing useful stuff like getting the car serviced and some boring admin. 

We went to see the Peaky Blinders ballet this afternoon which I booked impulsively a while ago, because James and I both enjoyed the television series. In fact there is an upcoming film of Peaky Blinders. It was at the Festival Theatre in Edinburgh. We took the train through and we had a light lunch in the Costa in Blackwell’s bookshop beforehand. Morag was also going to the ballet with her friend Nicola, and we met up for a coffee in the theatre café beforehand. I have only been to a very few ballets over the years, so I am no expert, but I thought that this one was very good. The dancing and the music were both excellent - they used Red Right Hand by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds and other music similar to that of the television series. And who could resist their wee razor lined flat caps! James said that he enjoyed it, although ballet isn’t really his thing (or mine, although I enjoy the spectacle of a ballet more than he does.) Morag does know a lot about ballet and she thought that it was great. Back home on the train we went and Davie and Chanel came round for dinner, we had a good chat and a lot of laughter. 

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

Tom was battering on the cat flap in the morning yesterday because he had lost his red collar, probably in a fight with another cat! I picked up a smart new blue collar for him from Pets at Home in Hamilton, as well as more magnets which open the cat flap. James put a magnet on the new collar but when we went upstairs to put it on him, Tom was hiding under the bed! I reckon that he heard us talking about him (of course he knows his name) and then heard us both coming up the stairs, and thought that we were up to no good, for example intending to put him in the cat carrier. We waited for him to come downstairs later and put the collar on him then. I had also bought a new collar for Floof because her old blue one was quite frayed. She is now wearing a pale pink collar with a pretty bow! It looks very sweet. 
James and I were doing some errands in town this afternoon and decided to go to the cinema. After checking the listings we went to see Beetlejuice Beetlejuice at the Everyman Cinema, a sequel to the original from 1988, which we both enjoyed. It was good fun, not as edgy and novel as the original but still very funny in places, and Winona Ryder and Michael Keaton had both reprised their roles. So had the excellent Catherine O’Hara, who is a fine comic actress. 

Driveway no more

My Dad’s cousin Janet will be ninety years old on 7th November. We will be in New Zealand at the time, so I took Janet out for lunch today to the Homegrown Garden Centre in Gartcosh as a very early celebration. I like her very much; she is an amazing lady and I love listening to her stories about the Russell family in the old days in Coatbridge. She talks about the present as well; she is very well read and intelligent, has a great sense of humour, and has an active social life with friends and family. \

On the way home I visited my Mum and Dad’s memorial bench and then walked past our old house in Grenville Drive. Every time I have walked past over many years, I have paused to admire the concrete slab across the bottom of the driveway, mixed and laid down so neatly by my Dad sixty years ago. It was still there in the spring, but today it was gone; a new driveway has been laid right down to the street and my Dad’s work is no more. I felt a bit sad, but I suppose that it was always inevitable that it would be replaced one day, and it lasted for a long time. 

Goodbye to Maggie and Margaret

Back in good old Scotland, it has been mostly sunny but noticeably cooler than France was last week. It is most definitely autumn now, which is not surprising since we are nearly at the end of September. We have been enjoying being around the house in the company of the kitties. Suzy came round for coffee on Wednesday and I had lunch with Philippa on Thursday. I'm excited that she will be moving back to Scotland next year, as will Margaret D. On Friday Lesley and Chris came round for lunch. I made a Greek lunch in an effort to recapture the summer! Lots of tzatziki, pitta breads, Greek salad and lamb kebabs, followed by baklava. We had a nice chat; they are expecting grandchild number five next March.

In the news, Israel has been bombing Hezbollah in Beirut, after knocking out their communications last week by making their pagers and walkie-talkies literally explode by remote control. Dame Maggie Smith died yesterday, a tremendous actress. I never saw her on stage but she was always excellent in the many films and television series in which she acted. And sadly I just heard this afternoon that another Margaret has died; Margaret Eadie, Grandma's cousin Bobby Eadie's wife. She was a lovely lady, always kind to Grandma, who had been suffering from dementia for a long time. 

Saint-Émilion

Another warm, sunny day in Lot-et-Garonne and we started with breakfast in the garden overlooking the stunning view of sloping fields and trees. Then Russ and James successfully connected the electronics on the pool heater, so Rob will be able to come back and connect the pipes and screw it down. It should all work although Russ and James think that an electrician will be required to finish the job neatly. Meanwhile Jenn and I relaxed by the pool and chatted. 
Jenn and Russ suggested that we all visit Saint-Émilion on our way to Bordeaux Airport. It’s about an hour west of their house. We drove through lots of wine countryside on the way, vineyards everywhere! James noticed that we would be passing very close to La Clarière, the vineyard belonging to Laithwaites wine distributors. It has self-catering accommodation which is often advertised by Laithwaites, and it looks beautiful in their brochures. Jenn and Russ obligingly drove us there and it turned out to be an excellent experience for all of us. We were given an exclusive tour (because there was nobody else there!) by the charming and knowledgeable Brigitte. She showed us the vineyards and let us taste the different types of grapes, which were hanging heavy on the vines because they are going to start harvesting them on Monday. Tony Laithwaite himself will be arriving on Monday to supervise! Brigitte then showed us the different types of barrels and containers used to ferment the wine, explained the process, and we had a tasting session of four types of wine. Brigitte was great fun and we all enjoyed ourselves. 
We were only 7 km from Saint-Émilion so we drove there for a very late lunch in one of the many wine-tasting restaurants. Saint-Émilion is absolutely stunning. It’s a medieval city surrounded by vineyards, 35 km east of Bordeaux. Saint-Émilion is one of the principal red wine areas of Bordeaux, and has lots of cafés, restaurants, wine shops and beautiful Romanesque churches with cloisters, all along its steep and narrow streets. We walked all around the tiny city, taking in the quaint and picturesque views, and later had coffee and crêpes sitting in a gorgeous square beside a cathedral which was partly built right into the stone of the hill. 
Russ and Jenn then very kindly drove us right to the airport, where we said our farewells. What a fantastic holiday it has been. 

Château de Duras

Jennifer was working this morning so Russ, James and I went to Duras. It was market day, although a much smaller market than that at Issigeac yesterday. We had a wander round the stalls and then went into the castle, just across from the market place, which is absolutely fascinating and very cute. It was first built during the 12th century and has been extensively rebuilt since then, with a precarious history of arranging alliances with successive English and French kingdoms during the Hundred Years War. It was ransacked during the French Revolution and fell into increasing disrepair until it was bought by the people of Duras in 1969 and has been being restored ever since. We had such a pleasant and interesting visit, it was very quiet and in many rooms there were traditional children’s games which we tried enthusiastically. Back in the town square the market was finished and we had lunch in a wee café before heading back to meet Jennifer at the house. In the afternoon I had a swim in the pool and we had a relaxing time. It was very warm in the sunshine. It came on to rain while I was in the pool but that bothered me not a jot because I was wet already! 
We had dinner in nearby Seyches in a very traditional French restaurant called Le Vieux Porche. The meal starts with an old-fashioned tureen of hearty potage placed on the table, followed by a limited choice of starters, mains, then cheese or desserts. The food is absolutely delicious and very filling! It is also extremely reasonably priced; 17 euros per person for a four course meal including a carafe of red wine. I already want to go back there! 

Dordogne road trip

The weather was predicted to be mixed today, so Jenn and Russ suggested that we go for a run in the car and visit some more of the area. Our first stop was Issigeac, a beautiful bastide village with a market which extends through several squares. A bastide village is a medieval village built for commerce, with a grid layout of streets and a central marketplace. Fortifications in the form of walls were usually added later. We had breakfast in a café in a wee interior design shop that Jenn and Russ know; coffee and pastries. After a browse around the market we continued on to our next stop, the gorgeous Limeuil, which is built on a steep little hill and has a small castle at the top with gardens overlooking the countryside around. Excitingly (for me and Jennifer) the well in the gardens was the scene of a murder in one of Martin Walker’s Bruno detective books which are set in the Dordogne! We had drinks in the café at the foot of the hill, which overlooks the confluence of the Dordogne and Vézère Rivers. Such a beautiful place. 
In our way to Bergerac Russ stopped the car near Tremolat at a viewpoint which overlooked a huge curve in the River Dordogne. Gorgeous. Our last stop was the pretty town of Bergerac. One of the first things we saw as we walked into the historic centre was a statue of a man with a very large nose - yes it was famous local boy Cyrano de Bergerac! We had arrived just at the point in the afternoon when all the restaurants were shut, but as we wandered around looking at the medieval buildings and the river, Jennifer noticed a wine tasting place in an old convent, which served platters of local charcuterie and cheeses served with wee toasts. So in we went and looked at the wines and had a couple of platters of food. It was a beautiful setting and we had a great chat. 
Back at the house, Jenn and I went for a swim in the pool and Jenn rescued a frog which was trying to climb out. After a tasty dinner made by Jenn and Russ we sat outside and looked at the stars. 

An afternoon by the pool

I had such a good sleep and woke refreshed in the morning to another sunny day. There was a tractor ploughing the field next to the house, followed by a host of white egrets. After breakfast en plein air, Rob and his wife Lisa arrived round to install a heater for the swimming pool. It doesn’t really need heated just now but this will extend the use of the pool into October and November. This took a while, and Russ and James were willing apprentices and helped to get it all set up. The next step is to get an electrician to finish connecting it to the electricity supply. Meanwhile Jenn and I went for a swim in the pool which was extremely pleasant. Jenn and Russ have an automatic pool cleaning device which trundles around the bottom and sides of the pool very efficiently to clean up any debris; the make is Dolphin so they call it Dolph! At one point I was standing in the shallow end and Dolph approached me and nibbled on my foot!

Jenn and Russ’s attractive traditional house is very near the tiny village of Puysserampion which is in the Lot-et-Garonne department near the border with Dordogne. They are also near lots of other villages such as Seyches, Duras and Miramont-de-Guyenne. They are also near Eymet in Dordogne. Their large grassy garden has lots of trees including walnut trees and fig trees. It is idyllic and it was lovely to be able to swim outdoors and then dry off beside the pool in late September.

On the way for dinner Jenn and Russ took us to a quaint and tiny wee hamlet called Monteton which overlooks the River Dropt, a tributary of the Garonne. There were only about twenty houses and a large church; like many villages in the area it was originally medieval and had a covered marketplace. The views over the verdant valley were gorgeous. Then on we went to the larger and also beautiful village of Duras where we had drinks outside a café. James and Russell had bright pink raspberry flavoured beer which was being promoted as the “beer of the moment.” They thought that perhaps the café were trying to get rid of it! After a lovely dinner in a tiny restaurant we returned to the house for more drinks and chat.