This evening we watched Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part 1. It was full of action scenes. I couldn’t help noticing that when the main character, played by Tom Cruise, parachuted into a train right through a glass window, not only did he show no distress but he immediately started fighting the baddies. In fact shortly afterwards he climbed up onto the train roof to fight some more, ducking down nimbly when the train went through tunnels. Then the front part of the train fell off a bridge and Tom had to climb upwards through several train carriages that were hanging vertically over a vertiginous drop, supporting the weight of his female colleague with one arm as he pulled her to safety. Needless to say I couldn’t have done any of that. In the unlikely event that I ever parachute through a train window I would be covered in cuts and would probably break several bones. The baddies would have to help me up from the floor, dry my tears and make me a cup of tea!
Friday, 12 September 2025
Sore Bones
This evening we watched Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part 1. It was full of action scenes. I couldn’t help noticing that when the main character, played by Tom Cruise, parachuted into a train right through a glass window, not only did he show no distress but he immediately started fighting the baddies. In fact shortly afterwards he climbed up onto the train roof to fight some more, ducking down nimbly when the train went through tunnels. Then the front part of the train fell off a bridge and Tom had to climb upwards through several train carriages that were hanging vertically over a vertiginous drop, supporting the weight of his female colleague with one arm as he pulled her to safety. Needless to say I couldn’t have done any of that. In the unlikely event that I ever parachute through a train window I would be covered in cuts and would probably break several bones. The baddies would have to help me up from the floor, dry my tears and make me a cup of tea!
Thursday, 11 September 2025
Lack of Empathy
Monday, 8 September 2025
Clachtoll Beach and some more music
Sunday, 7 September 2025
A walk, a big fall, a game of chess.
Northern Star Country Music
Thursday, 4 September 2025
Outdoors with the cats
I had some house stuff to do yesterday but I still had plenty of time to sit outside the cottage in the sunshine with the cats. I had a complicated form to fill in on my laptop so I sat on the bench and took my time over it, while also watching boats on the loch and listening to bird song. There is a woodpecker very nearby, but its tapping is a bit hesitant and James thinks that it may be a juvenile. I collected James from Inverness Station at 5 p.m. and we had a good chat in the car on the way home. We picked up delicious pizzas from Oak and Grain and ate them back at the cottage while watching The Great British Sewing Bee.
Today was yet another warm sunny day and James and I sat outside the cottage in the morning making plans. The cats love it when we are outside so they both spent time with us; Tom was rolling around on the patio and Flora climbed onto the garden gate to watch the lane, although she strategically retreated under a bush when some dog walkers passed by. James did some gardening and I did some drawing. It has been a very pleasant and quiet few days, however we are looking forward to seeing our visitors, Heather and Ewan, tomorrow.
Tuesday, 2 September 2025
Coffee at Corrieshalloch Gorge
By this morning it was sunny again and the cats and I spent most of the day outdoors. In the evening I decided to watch the film Good Will Hunting, which I have never watched even though it was made in 1997! It was very good, and Matt Damon and Robin Williams were excellent.
Sunday, 31 August 2025
Tea by the Sea in the sunshine
On Saturday we had a meeting in the village and enjoyed watching a sailing race; the yachts swept by very near the shore; the loch must become deep very quickly there. We had lunch at Tea by the Sea and had a walk around the harbour.
Today is the last day of August and we have had such a tremendous run of good weather. It’s still very warm, almost too hot to sit outdoors in the sunshine. However the rowan berries are very red and there are a few leaves gently drifting down from the trees. It feels as if autumn is just around the corner. James and I have been watching our old favourite The Great British Sewing Bee, it never disappoints. We also watched a series recommended to us by Kerry called Apple Cider Vinegar about Belle Gibson, an influencer in Australia who pretended that she had cancer in order to gain popularity and make money from her website and products. However it wasn’t just an exposé; it was very nuanced and showed different sides of the story.
Friday, 29 August 2025
Dinner at the Shore Restaurant
Then yesterday James and Cornel went for a walk up past the quarry to Loch Achall this morning and then over the hills to the dump road before returning to the village. It was a much less strenuous day for them than yesterday, but still a goodly walk. I walked down to the village and had a cheese scone for lunch in the Cult Café. We all had a relaxing afternoon sitting outside the cottage reading our books, drinking coffee and chatting. Cornel very kindly insisted on taking us out for dinner. We went to the Shore Restaurant at the Arch Inn and the food was absolutely delicious. We then went downstairs to the pub for a drink, and to listen to Rumac who was playing. The room at the front where he was playing was very full, so we sat in the bar area, and the music was loud enough that we could hear it fine from there. Sitting at the same table as us, there was a an Austrian couple in their 30s and we got talking to them. In fact, Cornell was talking to them in fluent German, which I found very impressive! He speaks three languages; German, Afrikaans and English. We had only intended to have a couple of drinks, but we were still there at closing time and James invited Eva and Fridolin back to the cottage to sample some whisky, specifically Raasay whisky. We continued our evening in a convivial manner, and James and the others tasted and discussed whisky among lots of other things. The cats were amazed that we had brought back strangers and stared at them at first and then paid them lots of attention. By the time they left it was late. Very late. It was really very funny because we have been going to bed at a sedate 10 p.m. all week because of all the hill-walking that James and Cornell have been doing, and then yesterday evening we blew it out of the water!
Tuesday, 26 August 2025
Back to Mellon Udrigle
After their big day yesterday, James and Cornel decided a coastal walk would be appropriate to stretch their legs in a more gentle fashion. I suggested that we go to Mellon Udrigle, which we had enjoyed visiting with Kevin. We set up camp on the beach and James and Cornel went off for a walk around the Peninsula, while I read my book. The weather was fine but the breeze was brisk enough to put me off going for a swim. Instead, I paddled up and down the length of the beach, enjoying splashing through the gentle waves. There’s no feeling quite like it. The coastal walk turned out to be boggier and longer than anticipated and after a couple of hours James phoned me to ask if I could pick him and Cornel up from the road end from Slaggan Bay, which would cut about half an hour from the end of their walk. James then made us coffee on the beach before we headed back to Ullapool in glorious late afternoon sunshine.
Monday, 25 August 2025
A Bonnie Day
Saturday, 23 August 2025
Erin and Hughie
Yesterday we visited Alison and Hugh in Nairn for a very special reason; to meet their five month old grandson Hugh, aka Hughie. What a smiley baby he is! Whenever you catch his eye he gives a great big smile - what a friendly wee chap! His smile is very like that of his Grandpa Hugh, and I have always thought that Erin looks very like Alison. We haven’t seen Erin since she was a baby herself and now she is about to turn four years old and is a gorgeous wee girl. She is very clever; she can count to a hundred and can say the whole alphabet as well as writing her name. She is also pleased to be the big sister of Hughie and is very kind with him. Hugh and Lucy have taken to double parenthood like ducks to water, they are so calm and competent, I can remember Hugh so clearly as a wee fellow running about our garden with our boys in the 1990s, not much older than Erin is now! It was very nice to see Lynsey again, she dotes on her wee great-niece and great-nephew. After a delicious lunch we went outside so that Erin could play on her swing and discovered that she is completely fearless, liking to swing very high while trying to burst bubbles that Granny Alison was blowing for her! Having grandchildren looks like great fun.
Tuesday, 19 August 2025
Walking in Strathconon
Monday, 18 August 2025
Appletons meet in Ullapool!
On Saturday evening James, Kevin and I went to see the Lewis McLaughlin Duo at the Ceilidh Place Venue. Lewis is a talented young singer and guitarist, and he was accompanied by Chloe Bryce on the fiddle who was also great. It was an excellent evening and the sky was glowing red on the horizon as we walked home along West Terrace. We also took Kevin for a trip on the Shearwater yesterday morning, where we saw bonxies swooping about, and lots of dolphins leaping in and out of the water. It turns out that tour guide Noel Hawkins is a great friend of James and Cal - so many connections!
Thursday, 14 August 2025
Sounds of Africa
Secondly, we heard a lot of Waka Waka (This Time for Africa) which was the official anthem for the South African World Cup in 2010, written and sung by Shakira. It draws inspiration from traditional African music, and also Colombian rhythms.
However my favourite song of all was Jerusalema, a Zulu song from South Africa. It has such a beautiful tune and is an anthem of hope, unity, and belonging; it is the song that we danced to at Lake Manyara Lodge.
For me these songs and words perfectly reflect the spirit of our trip - full of friendship, adventure and shared memories.
Tuesday, 12 August 2025
Farewell to Tanzania
Sunday, 10 August 2025
Stone Town
We were being collected from Breezes Resort at 1 p.m. yesterday (Saturday) so we had a relaxing breakfast and morning before meeting at Reception. I had actually asked for a late checkout, however when the hotel didn’t have availability we asked Audley Travel if our airport transfer could be a couple of hours early so that we could visit Stone Town. Holly arranged this for us at no extra charge, which was a really nice gesture, and by 2.30 p.m. we had been dropped off and were heading on foot into the narrow alleyways of Stone Town. These twisting lanes were full of colourful shops selling bright fabrics, dresses, paintings, carvings and other souvenirs. There were lots of beautiful carved wood doors with brass studs in them. Ally was our excellent navigator, and guided us first to the Anglican Church. The church and the neighbouring East African Slave Trade Exhibit stand on the grounds of one of the largest and most notorious slave markets in East Africa. This exhibition was created to commemorate the abolition of slavery and preserve the legacy of the individuals who were brought here and sold. Slavery had always been a component of traditional East African society, but during the 19th century the trade grew hugely and was led by Europeans, Indians, Arabs, coastal people and
ethnic leaders of the mainland. A lot of people made a lot of money and Zanzibar was at the centre of operations. Slave trading in East Africa was abolished in 1873, however it persisted in Zanzibar well into the 20th century. We went on a tour which included the cramped cells where the slaves were kept before market, and a group of statues of chained slaves outside. The exhibition was very interesting and showed us that as well as the slave traders there were also good people who tried very hard to abolish slavery. Our very own local boy from Blantyre, David Livingstone, was one of the good guys. He spent most of his life campaigning to end the slave trade as well as exploring Africa. It was a sobering visit but I felt glad to have paid my respects to the men, women and children who were sold into slavery.
Ally then expertly led us onwards to the Old Fort which was full of little stalls selling food and drink. We walked right through the courtyard and some attractive gardens to the harbour and had lunch in the lovely Cape Town Fish Restaurant. It is an attractive and busy harbour with lots of little fishing boats as well as ferries. On the way back to the minibus we stopped briefly at the house where Freddie Mercury lived until he moved to the UK when he was about 20.
And so our journey home began. It was a long haul, mainly because we had factored in significant gaps between our flights in case of delay. We said good bye to Jamie and Kerry in Addis Ababa when they headed to Dubai and thence to Bali. We said goodbye to Ally and Cat at London Gatwick, from where they had a short journey home. Davie, Chanel, James and I hung around at Gatwick rather tired, until it was time for the final leg of our journey to Glasgow. We finally arrived home at about 4.30 p.m. Tom and Flora were waiting for us and it was so very good to see them.
Friday, 8 August 2025
Swimming in the Indian Ocean
As it was our last night, complimentary drinks and snacks were delivered to our room, where we all gathered before heading up to cocktail hour at reception. Dinner was delicious and we had a nightcap in the bar, discussing our holiday experiences. It was such a lovely evening and I will miss our group of eight intrepid explorers.
Thursday, 7 August 2025
Frangipani Spa and Tides Restaurant
The divers returned happily; they had enjoyed a great morning and have all passed their PADI. We had a delightful lunch together and a relaxing afternoon. The evening was very special indeed. The young folk had clubbed together to treat James and I to a dinner for two at Tides Restaurant for our Ruby Anniversary. This is a little restaurant for two people right on the beach. It’s a carved wooden room with curtains that blow in the breeze and with doors that open out onto a tiny terrace overlooking the sea, where we had pre dinner drinks. Back inside the tiny room we had an amazing four course dinner. James had a huge lobster and I had paneer masala; there is definitely a spicy vibe about the food here. One stand out course for me was hibiscus sorbet, which is both sweet and tart, which I will attempt to reproduce at home. After we had eaten our fill and more, our waitress Hamid presented us with a big chocolate cake decorated “Happy Anniversary!” We took it to the main restaurant with us and shared it over drinks with the young folks, who had just enjoyed a slap up Gala dinner. The evening was crowned by Jamie asking Ally and Davie to be his joint Best Men at his and Kerry’s wedding, to which they both agreed with alacrity. I was so very happy.
Wednesday, 6 August 2025
Scuba Diving
Later in the afternoon we all went to the bar for pre dinner drinks, and a convivial evening followed, listening to the music from a very good Zanzibar group and having a laugh.
This morning we had an early breakfast because the divers were heading out to sea. Kerry and I lingered on pleasantly for another coffee, then went to the sun loungers near the beach where we read our books and chatted. Our divers arrived back at lunch time rather tired but happy that they had all successfully used their skills to scuba dive in the sea. Lunch was lovely, and then I went for a walk along the beach at high tide which was spectacular; the waves reached nearly to the low wall beneath the hotel. Drinks by the pool were followed by champagne in our bedroom and then dinner, which was Swahili night with a delicious and unusual buffet.
Monday, 4 August 2025
Travelling to Zanzibar
We left the Nyikani Migration Camp just after 7 a.m. The morning light was beautiful and lit up the long grass.
We saw a white cuckoo sitting on a tree, plenty of zebras, and wildebeest in herds as far as the eye could see. Charles and Naftal had brought us to the air strip very early but it was quite cool with lots of shade. We said our goodbyes to them rather sadly, they have been such excellent drivers and guides to us. Ours was one of the larger planes that we saw arriving, with room for about 40 passengers in 10 rows: we watched our luggage being loaded and soon we were on board. Kerry was asked by the stewardess to help her to close the door! We made a stop at Central Serengeti airport to pick up more passengers; we could see giraffes in the distance. And then we left the Serengeti and our plane flew us south east to Zanzibar. The final leg of our journey took just over an hour by minibus to Breezes Beach Resort and Spa, which is everything we had hoped for. the attractive white-washed buildings have high Makuti roofs, made with hand woven coconut palm leaves. The resort is right beside the sea with a swimming pool and a diving centre. It’s great that the pool is very close to the beach, so you can go to either pool or beach without having to move to a different seating area. We soon settled into our beautiful rooms and then headed to the bar for a snack lunch and later to the pool for a swim and drinks. Dinner was absolutely splendid; it was Spice Night and both the variety and quality of dishes were excellent, with lots of vegetarian options. We had a fun evening with lots of laughs, and went down to the beach to look at the stars before bed time.
Sunday, 3 August 2025
The Mara River
Lunch was excellent and after a chat we all went back to our nice cool rooms for an afternoon rest.
We regrouped at 4 p.m. and headed back to the river. Alas the wildebeest had decided that today was not an auspicious time to cross, and in fact were heading away from the river for the evening. Naftal told us that while we had been able to go back to camp for a break, some jeeps had waited in vain at the river all day, because they had travelled from much further away. I’m glad that our camp was only about an hour’s drive from the river. So after a while we headed back to camp, seeing lots of wildlife on the way, such as brown snake eagles, zebras, giraffes, and really huge herds of wildebeest. As James pointed out, although we didn’t see the wildebeest actually cross the Mara River, we certainly have seen the Great Migration. After refreshing bucket showers and a rather lovely dinner, we all sat around the camp fire and chatted and looked at the moon and the stars of the southern hemisphere. A great evening in great company. And now a hyena is yipping gently outside our tent!
Saturday, 2 August 2025
Northern Serengeti
Breakfast was lovely and then we chose the ingredients for our packed lunches. We set off in the landcruisers, this time we decided to have girl / boy landrovers and I enjoyed a day in the delightful company of Kerry, Cat and Chanel. Among many other birds and animals we saw a Volder decken? Hornbill eating a snake! Also water buffalo, impala, lots of zebras, a spotted hyena, and a pride of lions - two male and three female, running along. So many wild animals right beside us! Fantastic. Perhaps the most exciting moment was coming across two male lions right beside the track, sheltering from the hot sun in the shade of a tree. They were not at all bothered by our presence and sat yawning quite happily.
We had to queue for petrol at a filling station at the edge of the national park on the way north, it’s the only filling station in the area and Charles told us that it was very expensive. After a long drive (we left the Park and then went in by another entrance further north) we arrived at our final and most remote camp, Nyikani Migration Camp. This camp is a temporary one which is moved twice a year.
The bedrooms are again little huts, each with an en-suite toilet and a bucket shower.
The bucket showers are amazing. They are filled up on request by members of staff and then you pull on a rope and 20 litres of lukewarm water descend upon you through a shower head. It’s so refreshing! We all had showers because we were quite dusty and hot, then met up for drinks and dinner in the main building, followed by more drinks and chat. At one point I needed to visit the toilet just beside the main building. They use a novel way of indicating that the toilet is occupied. There is a warrior’s spear in standing upright in a little hole to the right of the door, and when you go in you move it to another little hole in the middle of the doorway! Back at our tent James used safety pins borrowed from Jamie to hang our mosquito net from the seam in the ceiling. We had been advised to bring a mosquito net for this camp but in fact the tent already has fine mesh windows and inner nets which cover all of the walls and windows. But we decided to use our mosquito net anyway.
Friday, 1 August 2025
Into the Serengeti
Charles showed us a tree called a theorisation? which is like a thick acacia.
At David’s request we added in a stop at Olduvai Gorge more info. We had a delightfully cool lunch sitting in the courtyard overlooking the valley.
We entered Serengeti National Park and queued to go through the gates after Charles and Naftal did the paperwork. Serengeti means endless plain.
Charles warned us that we were about to have an “African massage” which was a very bumpy five hour game drive on very dusty and uneven roads. Som if the potholes cause by flooding during the wet season were so huge that I thought that they would tip the landcruiser over!
Here goes with another list:
Speckled fronted weavers, lapis faced vulture, Hildebrand starling, Southern ground hornbill. Alasdair is extremely interested in the birds that we are seeing and is learning to recognise them very well.
We also saw a cheetah, a jackal, a cervo cat, a jackal, a topi, a Holder? (heart shaped horns), a hyena, and a couple of extremely cute dikdiks.
More impala, elephants and finally a leopard emerging from a bush.
At about 6.30 p.m. we arrived at Lahia Tented Lodge. This accommodation was incredible. We all had our separate double rooms but this time they have tent walls under high wooden ceilings, and the curtains move gently in the breeze! The main room of the lodge has a magnificent vaulted ceiling over a huge lounge and dining space. Outside is a swimming pool overlooking ——
On the tops of hills around us controlled fires glowed in the darkness, and the warm night was filled with the sound of crickets. We had a convivial dinner until it was time for us to be escorted back to our rooms, to protect us from wild animals. After seeing the cheetah and leopard today I was very happy to be escorted!
Thursday, 31 July 2025
Ngorongoro Crater
Zebras, wildebeest, grand gazelles, Thomson gazelles, lions in the distance, vultures, guinea fowl, lots of warthogs, buffalo, ostrich, and hippopotami.
Flamingos in the lake, red billed teals, Cory bustards (the heaviest birds of flight), black crowned cranes (also known as the Uganda bird because it is on the Uganda flag.) Lilac breasted rollers, buzzards, speckled mouse birds, ibis, heron, secretary birds - so named because when secretary birds kill snakes they use their feet like typing. They are also familiar to us Andersons from the film Bedknobs and Broomsticks! A vulture at the top of a tree with two chicks in its nest.
Rhinoceros, and a female lion right beside the jeep!
We saw lots of trees too, the ubiquitous acacia trees, a strangling fig, baobob trees.
These lists are by no means comprehensive; there was so much that I couldn’t possibly jot it all down. The Ngorongoro Crater is an amazing place.
Back to the Mandhari Lodge hotel and we went for a swim in the pool and then sat around the fire pit before a tasty dinner. Then in came a group of the staff, dancing and singing. Last night Cat and Chanel got up to dance with them, and this evening Chanel pulled me and Davie up to dance too. It was great fun!
Wednesday, 30 July 2025
Safari!
Naftal bought red bananas from a roadside vendor; they are delicious, small and very sweet. We entered Lake Manyara National Park, which is fed by springs from the Rift Valley.
We saw Baobob trees with their very thick trunks and distinctive shape. Also lots of baboons. Monkeys too, but mainly baboons.
Also impalas, waterbucks, and a bushbuck. We saw a group of elephants; two adults and two babies, which were so sweet. There are so many birds too, many of them very brightly coloured.
We were given a hearty picnic lunch at table overlooking Lake Manyara; it was cool under the trees.
We saw elephants, just strolling along through the trees. And we saw a warthog (Pumba!) just before we left the park.
Our hotel, the Mandhari Lodge, is very attractive; it consists of a main building and restaurant and a scattering of villas. It’s a long drive up a dusty track, but you are rewarded with stunning views over the green valley below and Lake Manyara. We all met up at the pool, and swam and chatted and had drinks.
Dinner was excellent and then we had to be escorted to and from our rooms after dark because of the danger of leopards and hyenas. As I write this I can hear what I think is a hyena whining and snuffling outside our wee villa.
Tuesday, 29 July 2025
A Long Journey to Arusha
Ally and Cat arrived and met us in the Departures Lounge; in their two days in Ethiopia they have had some adventures already, including sightseeing, retrieving lost luggage, and having to hand over their binoculars to security. This last was because of the current military situation in Ethiopia; it is deemed a threat to bring binoculars into the country!
We caught a mid morning flight to Kilimanjaro Airport in Tanzania, which was pleasant and uneventful, it was less than two hours. However we were delayed on arrival at Kilimanjaro Airport. James’ visa never came through so he had to stand in a long and slow moving queue to get one before following the rest of us through security. And David’s case was missing; he has a luggage tag in the case which showed us that the case is still un Addis Ababa airport. So he had to fill out a form and hopefully the airline will send the case after us.
Our driver was waiting for us and we set off on the couple of hours drive to Arusha, where we would be spending our first night of the holiday. Well, our first proper night, in a bed rather than an aeroplane seat! Our driver, Alex, took us for an impromptu tour around the centre of Arusha, a bustling city with a market, lots of shops, and street stalls. It is allegedly the centre of Africa, half way between Cairo and the Cape of Good Hope, and has a little clock tower to prove it.
There were people with sewing machines repairing clothes in the pavement, there were people riding incredibly overladen bicycles, a woman carrying cassava in a basket on her head, children on their way home from school. On the outskirts of town we arrived at Katambunga House, and went for a swim in the pool before dinner. As well as being very pretty, the pool area has an incredible view of Mount Meru, Tanzania’s second tallest mountain, in the distance.
Jamie and Kerry arrived from the airport at about 9.30 pm and of course got a huge welcome from the rest of us. The team of eight adventurers are now assembled and ready to go on Safari!
The young folk gave us a big surprise after dinner. Cat had organised and ordered eight t shirts, printed with a photo of James and me on the front to celebrate our 40th Wedding Anniversary. On the back is the itinerary of our holiday in the style of a band’s tour t shirt. It is absolutely perfect and so thoughtful. We had drinks in the bar before bedtime and now I’m lying in bed exhausted but happy with strange African bird and insect noises outside.
Sunday, 27 July 2025
Pakora Masterclass
This afternoon we went to a Pakora masterclass at Mr Singh’s near Charing Cross with Marjory and Forrest. They gave us a voucher for this for our wedding anniversary and we decided all to go together. It was great fun, and although it was a cookery demonstration rather than a class, the chef (Josh) was very entertaining and assured us that pakora is eaten a great deal more in Scotland than it is in India! Josh didn’t measure out his ingredients at all, just scooped garam flour and various spices into a bowl, mixed it up and added the chicken, haggis or vegetables. He made it look so easy and so speedy, however as he pointed out, he has been doing this every day for twenty-five years! The pakora was delicious and then we had the rest of our Indian meal, which was not only delicious but very filling. I suppose we had each already had three large pieces of pakora before we started our two course meal. I asked (because Ewan asked us to!) if you can make pakora in an air fryer; the answer is not really - you need a good old deep fat fryer to get the proper effect. Back at home we finished packing for our holiday.
Wednesday, 23 July 2025
Visiting Charles and Jeremy
In the afternoon, we went to the village of Moreton in Marsh, where the nice nurse from Cirencester Hospital had recommended the Bell Inn, allegedly Tolkien’s inspiration for the Prancing Pony pub in Lord of the Rings. It is indeed a pleasant and old-fashioned pub and we had a drink there. Onwards to Stow-on-the-Wold to see Saint Edward’s, a beautiful Norman church, parts of which date from the 11th or 12th to the 14th century, and which stands on the site of an earlier wooden Saxon church. Its north door is flanked by two yew trees which have grown into the structure of the church. It looks like something out of a fairytale and is rumoured to be another inspiration for Tolkien, this time for the Doors of Durin, which are the entrance to the Mines of Moria. This is however unsubstantiated.
Then we headed to The Farmer’s Dog near Burford for dinner. I booked this a few weeks ago while watching Jeremy Clarkson getting it renovated and opening it for business during the latest series of Clarkson’s Farm. We enjoy the series so thought it would be fun to visit. I was impressed; the bucolic setting overlooking fields is lovely. The food was very good too, and the service was friendly and efficient. We chose to sit outdoors under the awnings for which Jeremy was outraged to have to pay £40,000. It is a huge amount of money, however the umbrellas are huge and substantial, with gutters to divert rainwater. They also have heaters which was useful as the evening cooled down. It was really fascinating to visit the place that we have recently watched being done up; it must have been filmed last summer when it was all rather chaotic; it’s good to see that the place is running well now.
Tuesday, 22 July 2025
Outdoors Swim and a Reunion
The day started with some excellent news from Jamie, who phoned to tell us that he has been successful at his recent interview and has been offered a consultant paediatrician post at a hospital in Auckland. I am so proud of him.
James went for a walk and I went for a swim in Cirencester’s Open Air Pool, which was great, I love swimming there. I then spoke to Holly on the phone; our pre-holiday phone call to finalise details about our Safari in Tanzania. I can hardly believe that in a week we’ll be there. While we were chatting I popped into Keith’s café in Black Jack Street for a coffee and a pastel de nata, which was just delightful.
James and I had lunch with my former school friend Morag, whom I haven’t seen for 36 years, although we have kept in touch via notes in Christmas cards. We met at Aston Pottery which has excellent home baking. We started with quiches; the portions were absolutely huge. The afternoon flew by, we had so much to catch up on. James went for an hour’s walk to the Thames walkway in the middle while Morag and I shared a cake and chatted some more.
In other news, Ozzy Osbourne has died today. He always looked as if he was about to die but somehow I never thought that he would! End of an era.
Monday, 21 July 2025
Farewell to the aeroplanes
I then walked (gently!) over the footbridge to Cirencester town centre which took only ten minutes, and had an absolutely delicious brunch of coffee and French toast sitting outside the pretty Luxe café which is in one of Cirencester’s many little lanes. The aeroplanes departing Fairford were flying overhead every few minutes and all of us at the café were looking up into the sky to watch them. James joined me there at lunchtime and I had another coffee, the surroundings were delightful. We strolled down to the market and listened to an excellent busker singing Ed Sheeran’s “Perfect” and then we continued into and around the Abbey grounds. We had a business video call later and then had dinner at Henry’s which was tip top.
Sunday, 20 July 2025
Fun in the FRIAT enclosure
There was a poignant moment right at the end of the day; a retiring aircraft, an F-16, taxied through an archway of water from the airport fire engines as a farewell tribute, apparently this is a tradition. We went back to Cote for a tasty dinner later.
Saturday, 19 July 2025
Sun kissed at Fairford
Friday, 18 July 2025
Back in Cirencester
Our tiny cottage in Cirencester really is tiny. Small bedroom and bathroom upstairs and living room / kitchen downstairs. There isn’t even a back door! However it is clean and extremely well located right in the centre of the town, beside the Roman Museum and lots of cafés and restaurants.
This morning we set off to the air show nice and early; the Friday of the airshow is traditionally the least busy air display day because most people arrive at the weekend. In the FRIAT enclosure we found ourselves among a keen squad of hardcore aeroplane enthusiasts. You can attend the airshow for up to six days, three of which (Friday, Saturday and Sunday) have flying displays, and then on the Monday morning the aircraft depart, which is also worth seeing.
We soon got into our routine of watching the planes from the FRIAT grandstand, eating, inspecting the static display, and in my case, reading my book. Today I hardly had time to read my book because the weather was lovely so I ended up watching a lot of the flying display. When I say lovely, I mean neither baking hot nor lashing with rain, both of which drive me inside the FRIAT tent for shade or shelter. It was a great day, and later we went to Cote back in Cirencester for a tasty dinner, followed by drinks at the Golden Cross, which was full of friendly locals who were genuinely unintelligible to us! We were probably unintelligible to them too!
Thursday, 17 July 2025
A Winter’s Tale in July
What a quick turn around we have had. We set off home from Ullapool at about 6.45 on Tuesday; we had intended to leave at 6 p.m. but Flora was outdoors and didn’t come when called. The cats know the signs that we were about to set off because of the packing and housework that goes on before our departure. So we sat outside in the sunshine and eventually she came strolling up the path, miaowing at us enquiringly. Five minutes later we were all in the car (we knew that Tom was hiding behind the sofa in the living room) and made good speed; we arrived home before 11 p.m.
Yesterday we unpacked our Ullapool stuff, packed for our Cotswolds holiday, did admin, laundry, James did gardening and I had lunch with Ally W and delivered the Ullapool information to Susan T. And this morning we set off at 9 a.m. to drive to Cirencester, via Stratford upon Avon. The journey went well with no hold ups and with listened to the “The Rest is History” podcast, continuing the series on Hannibal, enemy of Rome. It was very good. We also listened to music and chatted. After a couple of brief stops we arrived in Stratford by 3 p.m. and had a pleasant walk around the familiar town centre. The sky was grey but it was very warm and we had a cup of tea sitting outside a café opposite Shakespeare’s house. We had dinner at the lovely Rooftop Restaurant at the Swan Theatre. James’ glass of wine was delayed because they had run out of the one he had chosen; as a result they gave us all of our drinks for free! I was very impressed that the waitress gently reminded us that the play, A Winter’s Tale, was due to start at 7.15 p.m. - we had assumed that it would start at 7.30 so we hurried downstairs to the theatre just in time.
I enjoyed the first half of the play much more than the second half. The first half was quite enthralling with tension building and lots of drama. There was of course Antigonus’ famous "Exit, pursued by a bear." However the second half lost its way a bit; Autolycus was so annoying, and then the reunions towards the end were summarised by one of the characters instead of being portrayed, perhaps to speed things up, but it made me feel as if I had missed a potentially good scene. And then the dragged out “statue” scene was just silly. I did enjoy myself though, and notably, I have now watched exactly eighteen of Shakespeare’s thirty-six plays, so I’m half way!
We are now in a new (to us) tiny cottage in Cirencester, ready to go to RIAT tomorrow morning.
Monday, 14 July 2025
Two wee boys
By the time Carolyn and Euan and their boys arrived back with us by ferry on Saturday evening, the weather had really heated up. After dinner, Carolyn and I went swimming in the estuary, it was a beautiful evening. The tide was very high at 5 metres and again the grass and see pinks were submerged and waving under the water. Back at the cottage we had drinks and chat with James and Euan.
We all agreed that Sunday should be a beach day to make the most of the hot weather. We were having breakfast in the garden when I got a phone call from Helen to say that she had arrived in Ullapool on her boat and was I available for a quick coffee? I was delighted to hear from her and 10 minutes later she joined us for coffee and a croissant sitting outside the cottage in the warm sunshine. Helen and her family are in the middle of a month sailing around Scotland which sounds wonderful.
Then we packed up our beach paraphernalia and called in at Tesco for bits and pieces for a picnic before we headed north to Achnahaird, our nearest sandy beach. The small car park was quite busy, as was to be expected on a sunny Sunday during the school holidays, however it was still probably one of the quietest beaches in Scotland because it’s quite remote. We set up camp and I headed straight into the sea to cool off. It was absolute bliss. After lunch James made us coffees with his Primus stove and then we all went paddling and Harris had a great time kicking the waves. At one point he kicked a wave so enthusiastically that his wee croc shoe flew off. Harris found this absolutely hilarious and we laughed and laughed. Carolyn and Euan had sensibly brought the push chair down to the beach which meant that Arran could have a nap in the shade. He didn’t nap for very long though because he was enjoying the beach so much and pointing at the water, the sand, and the rocks. It was an idyllic afternoon although very hot, even the slight breeze felt about as hot as a hairdryer! James flew his kite and Harris played golf. He is very good both at golf and football.
Back at the cottage we all had showers before a pizza tea. I love going to the beach but am always so sticky and sandy afterwards! It felt good to be clean again. It was still very hot in the evening but the midgies were out in force so we stayed indoors and drank cool drinks and chatted.
Saturday, 12 July 2025
Heatwave in Ullapool
The cats were very naughty last night; I foolishly let them out for what I thought would be a short foray at midnight, and they didn’t come back indoors until two in the morning. Then when they did come in, they were very excited and ran about the cottage, keeping me awake. We really need to get a catflap for them so that they can come and go as they please.
A wee update about my sore foot. I ended up popping up back through to Inverness on Thursday to get my foot checked out at Raigmore Hospital. The nurse was annoyed with the x ray department because they x-rayed my ankle instead of my foot (as she had requested) but she didn’t get it redone and thinks that I have torn ligaments rather than broken bones, which is reassuring. Over the last few days it has continued to be painful and the bruising is spectacular on the side and the top of my foot.
Friday, 11 July 2025
No Tern left Unstoned
This morning James got up early to go hill-walking with Cornel, and I had a pleasant day both inside and outside the cottage. Inside I did some housework and outside I sat in the warm sunshine and read my book. I also watched some of the men’s Wimbledon semi-finals; I would love to go to Wimbledon one day. James messaged to tell me that he would be home by 7 p.m. and five minutes later he phoned me to let me know that he had accidentally driven into a pot hole and the Land Rover’s front left tire had burst. He phoned the AA and after much delay, it became clear that a tire cannot be sourced and replaced until at least tomorrow. Cornel very kindly gave him a lift into Inverness, where he got something to eat and checked into a hotel. Meanwhile, back in Ullapool, I noticed that high tide was going to be just before 8 pm, so I nipped down to the estuary and went in for a swim. On this warm evening, the water didn’t even feel cold; it felt cool and silky. Near the shore, the grass and sea pinks were underwater, and it was so peaceful. As I swam, I saw a couple of fish jumping right out of the water, presumably to catch insects, and when I got out of the water, I realised that the insects were midges so I beat a hasty retreat back to the cottage for supper. I spoke to James on the phone later; understandably he is a bit frustrated about being stuck in Inverness. Let’s hope that a suitable tire can be found and he will arrive back in Ullapool tomorrow morning. So tonight it’s just me and the cats at home!
Tuesday, 8 July 2025
Inverness Trip
On our way back to Ullapool we found that the road was closed overnight (8 p.m. until 6 a.m.) in both directions for surface maintenance near Garve. When this happens there are planned hourly “amnesty periods” when work is paused and vehicles are escorted through in a convoy. We were lucky to arrive just fifteen minutes before the 9 p.m. amnesty so we didn’t have to wait long, and we were soon home to see Tom and Flora.