Ruddy Turnstones

Jamie phoned last night with some great news; he is a Consultant! He has worked so hard for this over so many years and James and I are extremely proud of him. So now as well having the letters MBChB after his name, Jamie also has FRACP (Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians.) 

Today James and I headed through to Inverness. Our main mission was to obtain cement for James to fix the lowest step in the garden. We first went to Simpsons Garden Centre where I had a huge and delicious cheese scone, and James had a sausage roll with salad. Then at James’ suggestion we drove to South Kessock and parked at Merkinch Nature Reserve from which we had great views of the Beauly Firth. The sky was blue but in the west we could see rain showers descending from clouds, backlit by sunshine. We saw a wee crowd of ruddy turnstones (similar to sandpipers) pecking away at the stones in the shallow water. We crossed the small railway line and walked to Clachnaharry Sea Locks, and then past the railway swing bridge, south west along the Caledonian Canal. It was so interesting, with more locks, boats, boatyards, barges, and people walking and cycling. In total we walked about 7 km before returning to Ullapool and the kitties for a cosy evening; we are watching the Last Night of the Proms. 

Sore Bones

I had a small mishap on Monday when we were at Clachtoll Broch. There is a low stone lintel across the doorway of  the broch, where a wooden door probably once stood. Foolishly I banged my head on it, but that wasn’t the problem. I immediately recoiled backwards and sideways and hit one side of my back on one of the big stones in the passageway. Despite me wearing a t shirt and fleece, it was a sore blow, and to my dismay it continued to be sore, in fact it became even more painful over the next several days. I wonder if I have cracked a rib, or whether it’s just bruised. It’s slowly improving now but it concerns me that my bones seem to be increasingly fragile. I know that I have osteopenia which probably explains it. 
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! 

Lack of Empathy

Our guests departed on Tuesday morning; we were sorry to see them go but it has been an excellent long weekend with them - apart from the big fall! The weather is gradually becoming more autumnal but it was still warm enough to sit outside in the garden on Tuesday afternoon and on Wednesday. We did some housework and had lunch at Tea by the Sea where I have become enough of a regular that I was given a loyalty card; I felt honoured! On Wednesday evening news began to come in from the USA that a young right wing influencer called Charlie Kirk (of whom I had never heard) had been shot in the neck while speaking to students at a university in Utah. A couple of hours later it was announced that he has died. Immediately reactions were mixed and controversial. Kirk supported gun use among other right wing beliefs so some people have commented that he deserved to be shot. This lack of empathy is troubling. It seems that many people think that people whose views differ from their own are not deserving of pity or safety, or even of life. When one news channel announced Kirk’s death, employees in the next room could be heard cheering. Cheering for the violent death of a young man of thirty-one who had a wife and two small children. Although his age and situation are not really the point; I don’t understand anyone celebrating the death of any person, no matter what their beliefs. 

Today the rain finally arrived. It has been wild and windy all day, and the ferries between Ullapool and Stornoway have been cancelled due to the weather. James lit the fire and it’s nice and cosy in the cottage.  

Clachtoll Beach and some more music

Heather and Ewan know the north west of Scotland very well so today we decided to take them to one of the few places they haven’t visited; Clachtoll Beach. James and I are very fond of Clachtoll with its Iron Age Broch and we wanted to share it with our good friends. And as ever, Heather and Ewan were enthusiastic and interested in the geology and history of the area. The warm colour of the Torridonian sandstone was beautiful in the sunshine, and the waves on the sea were many shades of turquoise and azure. It was quite breezy so after our walk we didn’t sit on the beach, but headed to Lochinver for a tasty lunch at An Cala. Back in Ullapool we had a relaxed afternoon before dinner at the Caley Bistro and a concert at the Ceilidh Place Venue - Tom Smith. Tom Smith is the lead singer and song-writer of the indie rock band Editors, and he was playing the music from his upcoming and rather cumbersomely named solo album “There Is Nothing In The Dark That Isn’t There In The Light.” He has a good voice and I found his songs pleasant if slightly similar to each other. It’s good to try something new, and to support the music scene in Ullapool. As Heather said, we let the music “flow over us” and then strolled back to the cottage for drinks and chat. 

A walk, a big fall, a game of chess.

After our late night last night we all had a leisurely start to the morning, and went for a walk beside the River Broom. The start of it was quite near the road so we could hear the traffic, but the path curved northwards beside the river and it was very pretty; there were bramble bushes beside the path. An elderly couple passed us with their beagle, and they commented on how peaceful it was. However our peace did not last because one of us had a bad fall. It’s not my story to tell and although we will no doubt laugh one day about the genuinely scary incident, it feels too soon just now. Let’s just say that it was a reminder that life can change in a moment. This time all was (mostly) ok, in that it could have been a lot worse, but we were all very shaken, especially the person who fell who was also sore and scraped. We decided that a restoring lunch was required so we continued the few miles to Corrieshalloch Gorge. It was nice and warm in the shelter at the Visitor Centre and as we sat at one of the outdoor tables having our lunch James and Ewan played a spontaneous game of chess, which Ewan won. Later a hearty dinner and a convivial evening with much music ensued. 

Northern Star Country Music

Yee haw! We had an absolutely tremendous day yesterday at the Northern Star Country Music Festival in Inverness with Heather and Ewan, who are visiting us for the weekend. It was the first one ever, and it was extremely well organised, in the Northern Meeting Park. We had upgraded to covered seats in the stand, which worked well because we could go for a seat there between acts or when we ate our food. Being in the stand would also have worked well if it had been raining, because from the stand’s slightly elevated position we could see the stage clearly and not too far away. However luckily it was not raining, in fact it was a fine summer’s day, warm and with only a slight breeze. This meant that when the bands were playing we could stand in front of the stage with the rest of crowd and enjoy the music and the atmosphere. And such great bands! We arrived when Raintown were playing, a talented and lively duo from Glasgow. As is usual with music events the bands were roughly in reverse order of fame, however they really were all very good. Next up was the excellent Chris Andreucci, from Ayr, I particularly enjoyed "To The Moon & Back" which of course reminded me of Jackie, as it was one of the things she used to say to her boys. Catherine McGrath is Irish and very personable as well as being a great singer; and The Wandering Hearts sounded a bit folly as well as country. When Glasville came on the the stage the lead singer said “You have heard some wonderful original music tonight, here are some favourites that we know you love!” This is because they are a covers band, and oh boy they were really really great, the crowd were all dancing - mind you we had been dancing quite a lot already. As well as food stalls and a bar there was a tent where there was line dancing, karaoke and a few less well-known bands; we saw part of First Time Flyers’ set and they were full of energy. They said that they had driven ten hours today to get to the festival and that they were going to drive all the way back to London afterwards. As a Mum this worried me, however hopefully the four of them shared the driving! Back on the Main Stage it was time for The Shires and I think it’s fair to say that they were the best of the lot, certainly in terms of songwriting and vocal harmonies. But then they are probably the most experienced, the other bands were so great too. The Shires were the culmination of a fantastic day. We left sharp and were back in Ullapool by midnight, where we had a wee nightcap before bedtime. 

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. 

Coffee at Corrieshalloch Gorge

I dropped James at Garve Station at lunchtime yesterday so that he could travel to Cambuslang to check on the house and garden and also go to the dentist. He will be back on Wednesday. I stopped at Corrieshalloch Gorge on the way back to the cottage; I had a walk and a coffee which was very pleasant in the sunshine. It’s not often that we stop at Corrieshalloch Gorge because we’re usually on our way somewhere else when we pass it, and this may be the first time that I have sat down for coffee rather than grabbed one to go. It’s a nice wee sitooterie but it still annoys me that there isn’t an indoors café for colder days. It’s a big enough building, but the inside space seems to be only used for NTS offices. Still, the toilets are lovely. Not long after I arrived back in Ullapool it started raining properly for the first time in weeks. The cats were outside at the time; I had inadvertently closed the porch door, and when I opened it they came running back inside! They weren’t even wet because they had probably hidden in a bush but Flora was shouting disapprovingly and they both decided that they needed fresh bowls of food to get over the trauma! In the evening I noticed that the film of The Thursday Murder Club has appeared on Netflix. Murder mysteries are not James’ cup of tea so I decided that it would be a good choice for me. I read the very popular book (by Richard Osman) a while ago and it was a decent read, not groundbreaking or outstanding though. The film was similar; a cosy British murder mystery which could have been improved with a better script. Pierce Brosnan in particular was miscast as a retired trade unionist; he had no edge to him. Despite all this I thoroughly enjoyed it. When I went to bed, the rain was pattering on the velux windows. 
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. 

Tea by the Sea in the sunshine

Cornel left us on Friday morning and then had to come back again half a hour later because the road was blocked at Leckmelm for two hours due to an accident. A cyclist was air lifted to hospital; I hope that she will be ok, we haven’t heard otherwise. So the three of us all sat outside the cottage and had another coffee until we heard that the road was clear and Cornel set off homewards. We were tired after our late night, so James and I had a pretty quiet day 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. 

Dinner at the Shore Restaurant

Wednesday was another big day for James and Cornel; three more Munros in the Fannichs. They left early in the morning. The weather is staying dry and warm despite the dubious forecast and they had a great day. While they were away I replenished our stocks of beer and made a delicious dinner (if I do say so myself!) of chilli con carne. 
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! 

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. 

A Bonnie Day

James and Cornel left early this morning to climb four Munros in the Fannichs. Cornel is visiting us this week and he and James are hoping to do lots of walking despite a mixed forecast. Today is beautiful so they decided to go for a big day while they can. I went down to the estuary at 9 a.m. when there was a very high tide of 4.99 metres. The water was so far up the grass that it nearly reached the bushes. The water was quite chilly but I had a good swim, and then sat and read my book for a while on a deckchair in the sunshine. Later I went for a walk along to the village where I did some shopping. I was sitting on the sea wall drinking some refreshing chilled apple juice when I saw a group of six fit ladies walking along from the ferry, wheeling their bicycles. Heather had messaged me earlier in the day to tell me that Kathleen and a group of the Glasgow Gals cycling group would be crossing to Ullapool from Stornoway after a cycling trip in the Western Isles. I had assumed that I wouldn’t run into them since Ullapool is currently about as busy as it gets, but I spotted Kathleen straight away and hailed her. We had a brief chat and I took a photo of the group. James and Cornell arrived back at the cottage, tired but very happy after climbing all of their mountains in glorious sunshine and we had drinks outdoors before dinner. 

Erin and Hughie

We are enjoying the warm summer in Ullapool, having a peaceful time with the cats. Both of them are spending a huge amount of time outdoors and so are James and I! We were sitting on the bench today watching Flora who was rolling around on the slabs in the sunshine, and we noticed that she just rolls her shoulders and top half over, and then her lower half inevitably follows. It’s very funny and sweet. Less endearingly, Flora likes to eat the cobwebs on the wall beside the patio as if she is eating candy floss, including juicy dead flies. Disgusting. 
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. 

Walking in Strathconon

This morning, James and I gave Kevin a lift to Inverness station. We were sorry to say goodbye to him, we have had a lot of fun with him over the last few days. We were in good time and had a quick coffee in the Costa at the station before saying our farewells to Kevin and then heading for Strathconon. James had a Corbett that he wanted to bag, called Bac an Eich, which was a six hour circular trip from our parking spot near Inverchoran farm. I decided to walk along a bit of the River Meig and then walk the length of Loch Beannacharain. There was an attractive big house at the end of the loch called Scardroy and opposite it there was a steep hillock with a little cylindrical monument on top. I climbed up to take a closer look, and found it easier to take my shoes and socks off to walk up through the long grass! Apparently the monument is in memory of a 2nd World War Major-General called John Frederick Boyce Combe. There are a couple of crests on it but the plaque mentioned online is missing, so I’m not sure what was his link to the area. I walked back to the car, stopping beside the river on the way for lunch. The field was full of delicate pale blue harebells, tiny clusters of white field madder, purple field scabious and little yellow tormentil. By the time I arrived back at the car I had walked more than 12 km which pleased me. James made really good speed on his hill walk and arrived back at the car only twenty minutes after I did. We headed home via Deli-ca-Sea where we got fish suppers. The cats had been outside all day, with access to food and water in the porch, and were excited to see us. 

Appletons meet in Ullapool!

The weather in Ullapool is fantastic and we have been making the most of it. Yesterday I went swimming in the estuary and today we are at Mellon Udrigle beach where I have had another swim. The water is at its warmest at this time of year, it’s such a pleasure to be able to stride into the water without even flinching! Kevin had been staying with us for the last few days and it has been lovely to see him. He posted a few photos on Facebook about his trip and his cousin’s son contacted him to say that he now lives in Ullapool! So we invited James and his partner Cal round for drinks and we all sat in the garden in the hot sunshine and chatted. They are in their thirties, really nice and also extremely interesting. James is a photographer and film maker and hill runner and kayaker, and Cal is a vet and paddle boarder. They moved to Ullapool a couple of years ago and are renovating a boat as well as travelling and working. Last year they made a film of Cal paddle boarding around Scotland, interviewing local people on the way about their work for the environment and biodiversity. We watched the first part last night and it was fascinating; we’re going to watch part two tonight. 
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! 

Sounds of Africa

We are back in Ullapool enjoying the warm weather. We had a sunny lunch sitting outside Tea by the Sea today, and enjoyed the beautiful views along the loch. 

On the way north we played some of the music that reminds us of our Tanzanian holiday. Many lovely African songs were played in the evenings at our lodges and camps, often accompanied by dancing by the staff and sometimes us too! Three songs particularly stood out to me. 

Firstly, Jambo Bwana is a cheerful and catchy Swahili greeting song from East Africa, originally written in Kenya in the 1980s. Its famous line “Hakuna Matata”  means “no worries” and was subsequently used as a song title in the Disney film “Lion King.” We heard it (and sang it!) every evening.  
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. 

We also learned a few phrases while we were in Tanzania in addition to Hakuna Matata. 

Asante sana means thank you very much, and we had very many occasions to say that. Karibu means you’re welcome, and Pole Pole (pronounced “polay polay”) means take your time, take it easy.

For me these songs and words perfectly reflect the spirit of our trip - full of friendship, adventure and shared memories. 

Farewell to Tanzania

A quick blog from top of the garden before I go inside to make dinner. It is delightfully warm today; not as warm as the Serengeti or Zanzibar of course, but still properly summery and balmy. The sky is completely blue and the garden is in full bloom. Flora is sitting in the chair beside me, keeping me company. I have done quite a few very useful errands over the last couple of days which would be boring to relate but were satisfying to complete. I have also been swimming, visited the dental hygienist, done loads of laundry and packed for our trip to Ullapool which starts tomorrow. We had lunch with Heather and Ewan yesterday at Vin18 and then came back here for coffee and cakes. James took the car for its service and has been working hard in the garden. 

We had such a great holiday with our young folks. It’s hard to believe that we were in Africa just a couple of days ago, and its vivid colours and scenery remain with me. I am so delighted that the holiday went so well, but I’m not surprised; after all we are a family and we all share our love for adventure. 

The young people were all vocally appreciative of the accommodation and the holiday, and enthusiastic about the animals and birds. I couldn’t have asked for better companions. 

What would I do differently? Not much, however perhaps I would choose a couple of lodges rather than move around so much. We could fly between them and spend 3 or 4 days in each, going on one game drive per day early morning and relaxing at the lodge for the rest of the day. I would love to go back to Tanzania, however I’m aware that there are different countries whose safaris would offer us more and different experiences. It has been truly brilliant. 

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. 

Swimming in the Indian Ocean

We all met for a late breakfast at the luxurious hour of 9 a.m. instead of the 7 a.m. starts that we have been having because of the diving course. Then we all headed to the sun loungers overlooking the sea for some serious relaxation. We did set off for a low tide walk to look at the coral but my sandals were being sucked off my feet by the very soft sand and I was concerned about tripping and falling onto a sea urchin, so I retreated to the sun loungers with Cat and Chanel, while James, Ally and Davie pressed on. Ally did in fact get spiked by a sea urchin in the side of his heel but he removed it with tweezers. We had lunch in the sandy floored bar and then the young folk went off for a lively afternoon at the pool table. I hear that David was the ultimate victor. I decided to have a swim in the sea. The tide was fully in and the waves seemed quite big; there were a few other people swimming which encouraged me, and I had a fantastic time. The water was as warm as a bath, the waves tossed me up and down and I had to swim quite hard against a current that swept along northwards about 20 metres from the shore. James came and joined me and we swam out to the raft and back to the shore. 
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. 

Frangipani Spa and Tides Restaurant

This was the last day of our intrepid divers’ PADI course, so they set off to the Diving Centre after breakfast. Kerry and I relaxed and chatted over coffee and pastries, and at 10 a.m. we presented ourselves to the Frangipani Spa. We had both booked massages and thoroughly enjoyed them. The spa decor was browns and golds, with dark brown furniture. It felt very relaxing. Then we got ourselves sun beds overlooking the sea and read our books, and we went for a swim. The water in the pool was cool and refreshing. 
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. 

Scuba Diving

Yesterday we had a change of pace, we had a day at the pool at our lovely hotel. Six of us were having a scuba diving lesson; James, Jamie, Ally, Cat, Davie and Chanel. Kerry and I spent the day spectating, swimming, chatting, reading and relaxing. The friendly instructor, Emily, took the divers thoroughly through their training. It was very interesting to watch. 
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. 

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. 

The Mara River

We started the day with a refreshing bucket shower. The staff who fill them call from outside the tent to check if you are ready, so I said yes and when I heard it fill up I jumped into the cubicle. The first splash of residual water was chilly and I exclaimed aloud “Oh that’s cold!” to which a voice right beside me (just outside the tent!) replied “It will be warm in a minute!” which I thought was very funny. He was of course waiting for me to finish so that he could fill up James’s bucket. 

We set off in our Land-cruisers just after 7.30 a.m. The aim of today’s expedition was to attempt to see the wildebeest crossing the Mara River as part of the Great Migration. On the way we saw lots of wildebeest trotting along in large groups. We also saw zebras, a Secretary bird, Repelle Vultures in a tree, water buffalo and a Marshall eagle. 

Naftal positioned the landcruiser right beside the river and we waited to see what the wildebeest would do. And waited and waited. A Little bee eater entertained us by flitting around. The wildebeest moved around in their huge herd, massing near the river, but they didn’t quite dare make the move to swim through it. They made quite the racket mooing at each other. They were right to be hesitant; down on the banks of the river we could see dead wildebeest, who hadn’t made it across, being feasted on by vultures and crocodiles. Eventually we headed back to the camp for lunch, spotting lots more wildebeest, a few giraffes, zebras and a battler eagle. 
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! 

Northern Serengeti

I was excited to wake early at Lahia Tented Lodge, and decided to go for a swim before breakfast. It was idyllic. A large stork accompanied me to the swimming pool which overlooks the countryside. The water was silky cool and little birds skimmed over it for a quick dip. It really was a wonderful experience. 
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. 

Into the Serengeti

This morning we set off to the Serengeti via the Western Side of the Ngorongoro Crater. When we stopped at the gates for Charles and Naftal to complete the required paperwork, I nipped into the shop to buy a few postcards. Then I went to the toilet, and on exiting I realised that I no longer had my purse. Oh no! I rushed back in but there was no sign of it in either the toilets or the shop. The toilet attendant told me that he had seen it in the toilet and had gone to get latex gloves to retrieve it, but when he came back someone had flushed it away. We all agreed that this was a doubtful story; the purse was a bright blue so the chances are that the next person to go into the cubicle would have seen it straight away. Without meaning to cast aspersions, I think that I dropped it and it was found and stashed somewhere by someone. I was so annoyed with myself, but all the others were very understanding and I cancelled both of the cards that had been in the purse immediately, and established that the cards had not been used before cancellation. We continued into the Ngorongoro Conservation area; the western side has more open grassland and trees, which means giraffes. And sure enough it wasn’t long before we saw our first giraffe, and quite a few more during the day. It was so exciting, they are so elegant. Charles told us that when they stand still their group name is a tower of giraffes, but when they are walking along they are called a journey of giraffes.  And we saw lots and lots of zebras; James and I had thought that we would maybe see a few, but there were so many, and so very beautiful. 
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! 

Ngorongoro Crater

An early start today! Coffee was delivered to our villa at 5 a.m. and then we set off from the hotel to the Ngorongoro Crater. It was a long drive, about two and a half hours to the inner gates. Then we started our descent of the Eastern side. We saw so many different types of animals! A list is boring but here is one anyway! 
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! 

Safari!

Today we had our first game drive, to Lake Manyara National Park. We travel in two Landcruisers, four of us in each, we have decided informally to rotate travelling companions. Our drivers, Charles and Naftal, are friendly and informative. The roofs of the landcruisers lift up so that we can stand up to see the wildlife. This also gives us a pleasant breeze. On the way to the park we passed through the town of Mto Wa Mbu which means River of Mosquitos. A terrifying name, but it is a fertile place, with rice fields and banana trees because of its water. Ahead of us we could see the mountains of the Rift Valley, the origin of our species.
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. 

A Long Journey to Arusha

It has been a long day, or more accurately a long night. Davie and Chanel came round for a snack lunch yesterday before we all took a taxi to the airport and flew to Heathrow. It was just as well that we had allocated four hours before our next flight because it took two hours to retrieve our luggage and travel from Terminal 5 to Terminal 2 by train. When we boarded our flight to Addis Ababa it was very busy with people milling about the aisles. The lady who was sitting to my left was  what my Dad used to call “well built” and encroached on my space but she was so pleasant that I didn’t mind. She even told the man in front of me not to recline his seat while I was eating! I was surprised to see her eating the dry creamer straight from the packet though! I don’t know how much sleep I got but it didn’t feel like a lot and we were all pretty tired when we arrived in Addis Ababa. 
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. 

Pakora Masterclass

 James and I drove home from the Cotswolds on Thursday without any hold ups, sharing the driving as usual, and listening to The Rest is History podcast. It was great to see Tom and Flora who seemed enthusiastic about our return. Much laundry was done and we started packing for our Safari; we will depart on Monday afternoon which is very exciting. It has been nice to be at home, socialising a bit and doing useful errands. James met up with Gerry, I had lunch with Chanel; James had his last vaccination and I had my hair cut. We went out for a lovely Italian meal to the very popular Nonna’s Kitchen in Kirkintilloch on Saturday with Heather and Ewan, the food was very tasty and the service was friendly and cheerful despite how busy it was. An excellent evening. 
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. 

Visiting Charles and Jeremy

Today was our last day in the Cotswolds, the week that we have spent here has gone by all too quickly. We drove to Tetbury in the morning and went on a garden tour of Highgrove House, Prince Charles’ gaff, where he lived with Diana and their boys in the 1980s. And he still lives there now, as well as his many other homes. According to a recent complaint by one of his team of gardeners, he walks around inspecting the gardens and giving them notes about changes / improvements written in red ink! It all looked very familiar from photoshoots that they did then with tiny William and Harry. However I couldn’t take photos around the gardens because at the beginning of the tour we were told firmly that we were not allowed to! This was a pity because there were many gorgeous flowers in bloom, and the fruit was being grown on trellises on the wall of the vegetable garden, there were tree shaded paths, sculptures and fountains, so it was very photogenic. Charles has tried to use all natural methods of gardening rather than chemicals, and I was interested in the wildflower meadow where they have increased the amount of flower varieties every year. Some parts of the garden I thought were a bit overdone; just a bit too planned. I did like that all of their ponds and fountains have wee bridges leading out of them so that animals who may fall in can use them to climb out. One of the fountains was very top heavy with moss and plants, with the water dripping through, and our ancient (and very posh) guide explained that this was so that insects and butterflies would not be disturbed. However I couldn’t help thinking that it looks ready to topple over and could have done with a vigorous trim and still have left plenty of vegetation for the insects! After our tour we went into the restaurant for a late lunch which I have to say was absolutely delicious in delightful surroundings. 
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. 

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. 

Farewell to the aeroplanes

Today was the last day of the airshow; there is no flying display but the aircraft depart one by one, often waving to the hardcore fans who are still watching. It has a nice atmosphere, however this year James went on his own after dropping me off at Cirencester Hospital minor injuries unit. My foot has continued to really bother me since I rolled it in Inverness a couple of weeks ago; it aches all day and gets worse towards the end of each day. It also concerned me that my ankle was x rayed by mistake, instead of my foot. Cirencester Hospital is small and really friendly; it wasn’t busy when I arrived at 9 a.m. although it quickly became a lot busier so I was pleased that I was ahead of the crowd. The nurse who looked after me was such a pleasant person; she took me through to x ray in a wheelchair at great speed, saying “Scream if you want to go faster!” which made me laugh a lot! I was found to have an avulsion fracture of the 5th metatarsal. This explains the continuing pain. The good news is that it should improve over the next few weeks, and if it doesn’t I should go back to a hospital. Meanwhile I’m to wear trail shoes to support my foot, rest it and elevate it when I can and use ice packs on it. 
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. 

Fun in the FRIAT enclosure

What a difference fifteen minutes makes! Today we set off at 7.30 a.m. on the dot, and got to the FRIAT enclosure a whole hour earlier than yesterday, by 9 a.m. It had been raining during the night and into the morning, but it was dry enough when we arrived to have our breakfast of coffee and pastries sitting outside on the picnic benches, which was rather lovely. The coffee from the van at FRIAT is absolutely delicious. I remained at the benches while James went to the grandstand, and I joined him again later. There was one big downpour in the middle of the day but then the blue skies returned. Both yesterday and today have had much better weather than forecast so both the organisers and audience were delighted. 
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. 

Sun kissed at Fairford

This morning we left the cottage in Cirencester just after 7.45 a.m. and just as well we did, because today is one of the two busy weekend days at RIAT. We had to queue for a short time as we approached Fairford airfield by car, and for a longer time as we waited in a slow moving line through security. But we were in our seats in the grandstand by the time the flying display started at 10 a.m. There was a heavy shower as we went through security but the day brightened up exponentially and by lunchtime it was very sunny and very hot and muggy. I spent quite a bit of time watching the flying display from the grandstand but when it got very hot I took myself into the shade beside the FRIAT tent and still had a good view of the flying display. I had a baked potato with cheese and onion for lunch and it was delicious. James was so happy watching the aeroplanes; by the end of the day his face and arms and especially his knees, looked rather pink because he spent almost all of his time in the grandstand in full sunshine. It was a great day, and later we had a delicious tapas dinner in La Bobina. 

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! 

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. 

Two wee boys

Carolyn and Euan and their two beautiful wee boys came to stay overnight with us last Sunday before their trip to the Western Isles, and then on their return from Saturday evening to this morning. It was great to see them and Harris and Arran are so very sweet. Harris was particularly interested in Tom, and spent a lot of time looking for him and talking about him! Harris has just turned four and has very cute Spider-Man shoes and is interested in everything! Arran will have his first birthday next week, and is a very observant, smiley boy, who loves to point at things. They are both just gorgeous. But my goodness it’s just as well that you have children when you’re young! James and I were tired out just watching Carolyn and Euan tend to their offspring! 

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. 

Heatwave in Ullapool

The predicted heatwave has arrived at Ullapool. It is 27° but to me it feels much hotter, probably because there is no breeze. I walked in to the village to meet James for lunch on his return from Inverness and I was sweltering. I quaffed lots of water but I didn’t properly cool down until I had a shower back at the cottage. James arrived in Ullapool with a new tire on the car. Thank goodness that the garage were able to source one, it is not always easy to get car parts in the north of Scotland as we know from experience! 
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. 

No Tern left Unstoned

James and I have been talking about going on a boat trip just the two of us, and yesterday we did so. We went on the two hour trip on the Shearwater, which we have done several times, but every time there is plenty to see.  The weather was warm and overcast, and unusually there weren’t very many people on the boat, which gave us room to spread out. We saw seals and gannets and cormorants and shags and terns. These last prompted the skipper to make a joke about marijuana washing up at a tern colony, hence the punchline “no tern left unstoned” based on the old music hall transpositional pun. Given the documentary we watched in BBC Alba recently where the skipper was mentioned, James and I exchanged a wry glance. However the highlight of the trip was seeing two large pods of dolphins. We are lucky to have seen dolphins many times before, and I am always struck by their seeming joy in life. They jumped right out of the water, singly and in groups, and I noticed that as they jump up in the air they twist round and re-enter the water on their sides. 
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! 

Inverness Trip

Having done our homework for the film 28 Years Later (see my previous post) we decided to book it for early this evening in Inverness. We were already going through to Inverness to meet Alison and Hugh for lunch so it tied in nicely. We met up with Alison and Hugh at Simpsons Garden Centre and had a great time catching up with them, and they very kindly gave us a bag of tasty produce from their garden; French beans and beetroot. After lunch James and I decided to go for a walk by the River Ness, which went well until I stepped into a hole in the pavement and fell right down. A pain shot through my foot and I felt really sick and faint, so I lay where I was until I felt a bit better. A lovely Austrian paramedic saw me fall and had a look at my foot, by which time it was feeling a bit better so James helped me up and I limped back to the car. I reckon that it’s just sprained. James very helpfully nipped into Boots at the retail park and got me ibuprofen, an ankle / foot support and a cooling patch. Fortified by these we went into the cinema to watch our much anticipated film. Well it was a very strange zombie film! It had all the usual gory bits but there was a philosophical interlude in the middle where Ralph Fiennes appeared all painted with iodine, I’m not sure what his character was trying to achieve and it was a bit weird. Not as weird however as the Jimmy Savile references at the end! How bizarre! Despite all this it was quite enthralling and I read later that Danny Boyle is planning two more sequels. 
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. 

Jurassic Park Rebirth

The rain has arrived at last in Ullapool, although it’s still warm. We needed to go through to Inverness yesterday for James to get his second rabies jag, so given the dreich weather, we decided to go to the cinema. The jag was to be administered in Superdrug, which happens to be in the same retail park as the Vue cinema and the Tesco superstore. The film that I wanted to see was 28 Years Later. This Danny Boyle directed film is the third in a series which started in 2003, featuring a very young Cillian Murphy. We watched the first two films on television this week in preparation. However, as it turned out, 28 Years Later is only being shown in the evenings in Inverness. Nothing daunted, we had a look at what was available in the afternoon. The best choice was the latest (seventh!) in the Jurassic Park franchise which started in 1993; Jurassic Park Rebirth, so I booked that. 

James duly got his jag, and after a bite to eat we went to the cinema. I absolutely loved it. It was completely predictable but very enjoyable and the action scenes were truly gripping. It also starred Jonathan Bailey of Bridgerton fame, whom James and I recently saw as Richard II at the Bridge Theatre in London! But it was the music that got me. When the theme tune started building up as the intrepid scientists saw a herd of herbivore dinosaurs in all of their majesty, it took me right back to watching the early Jurassic Park films with my boys when they were younger. * It was wonderful to see how fascinated they were by the dinosaurs, just as fascinated as Sam Neill and Laura Dern and the children were in that first and best film. When we went on the Jurassic Park ride at Universal Studios in Florida at Easter 2000, the theme music played as the ride started and the two great gates swung open. I felt so moved and excited to be there with Jamie, Ally and Davie, and the music still has that effect on me. 

* The boys were fairly young when they watched the early films, first when they appeared on television and later at the cinema. They never seemed all that scared, they were more delighted by the action sequences and knew it wasn’t real. They used to agree that their favourite scene was when a man got grabbed by the head by a T Rex while sitting on a toilet!