Mike and the Mechanics

The day started with a drama involving Tom, Flora, James and Fluffy, a local cat who has been intruding into our house recently, using his cat magnet to open the cat flap. Fluffy is not his real name; he is so called by us because of his (or her) fluffy ears. James was awoken by hissing sounds from both of our cats, who were trying to prevent Fluffy from coming up our stairs. This seemingly bold move from Fluffy turned out to be because he had found himself trapped in the front of the house, because the door between the hall and the back room had been closed (probably pushed closed when Tom and Flora were trying to repel him!) so Fluffy was looking for another means of escape. James then entered the fray and Fluffy ran away from him back downstairs, racing up and down the hall and hurling himself alternately against the front door and the door to the back room in terror. Then he ran upstairs again and tried to jump out of our bedroom window, to no avail because it wasn’t open wide enough. James opened the door downstairs and Fluffy ran into the back room and jumped out of the cat flap. I hope that this unfortunate experience finally gives Fluffy the message that he is not welcome to come swanning into our house to eat our cats’ food. 

After a pleasant and useful day we met Marjory and Forrest at Ask Italian where we had a good meal and catch up before going to the Mike and the Mechanics concert at the Royal Concert Hall; our Christmas present from them. Mike Rutherford arrived on the stage using crutches and announced that he broke his hip only 12 days ago! This did not hold him back and he sat on a chair during the concert, playing his guitar manfully. The rest of the band were great too, including Phil Collins’ drummer son Nic, whom we saw playing the drums at the last ever Genesis concert. Tim Howar and Andrew Roachford were excellent vocalists, backed up by Anthony Drennan (bass guitar) and Luke Juby (keyboard and guitar.) It was a really excellent concert, and the audience, a full house on a Monday night in March, loved it. 

A walk from Warwick to Leamington Spa

We woke to an absolutely glorious day and decided to have breakfast in the nearby village of Woodstock followed by a walk in Blenheim Palace grounds. Woodstock is very pretty, as is the way of English villages. The pastries in the wee coffee shop were fresh and delicious. There is an entrance from the village in Blenheim, and by going for another visit we thereby slashed our costs per visit to £20.50 each! Another visit in the summer perhaps to bring the average visit price down even further? Of course Russ and Jenn told us last night that there are gates that the locals know where you don’t have to pay. The grounds were much busier on this sunny Sunday, with families and dogs abounding. 
Our next stop was Warwick for a walk to Leamington Spa via the River Avon and the Union Canal, stopping at the Moorings pub on the way for a refreshing cool drink. Leamington Spa’s parks were filled with people strolling about, much as I would imagine they did in Victorian times after “taking the waters.” We circled around the town centre and back along the river to Warwick. It was a really pleasant 9 km walk. 
Now we are at Birmingham Airport awaiting our flight home. 

The Delicate Sound of Pink Floyd in Oxford

We parked at an underground car park in Oxford this morning and had breakfast at Pret, then walked around the town before meeting the tour guide at the Martyrs’ Memorial. We got a message to say that Jenn and Russ were on their way by bus from the Park and Ride but it was held up in heavy traffic. We informed the tour guide that they would be a bit late and they arrived very shortly after the tour started. The tour was very interesting and stuffed full of facts e.g. Oxfam’s first shop being in Oxford (I should have guessed!), all the famous people who went to the various colleges, the spot where C S Lewis, sheltering one evening from the snow, saw a lion and some fauns carved on a door panel and allegedly came up with the idea of Aslan and Mr Tumnus. There was a graduation going on so we saw lots of graduates wearing their gowns and proud parents queuing up to go into the ceremony at the Oxford Theatre. After our tour we  had lunch on the top floor of the Ashmolean Museum; what a delightful restaurant with excellent food. We had a good chat with Jenn and Russ who were on good form. We looked around some Italian Renaissance paintings before leaving the Ashmolean and going to the Turf Tavern which dates from the 12th century and is a warren of tiny thick-walled rooms. It is so ancient and unique. Thence to Checkers pub, another traditional and historic pub where we met up with a group of Jenn and Russ’s friends who were very welcoming to us. A short walk away was Oxford Town Hall where we saw a Pink Floyd tribute act called The Delicate Sound of Pink Floyd. This was Jenn and Russ’s 40th Wedding Anniversary gift to us. The band were very good; two of their number comprised a friend of Jenn and Russ and his son who were both excellent guitarists. A great evening. 

Blenheim Palace

We are in Oxfordshire for a few days, and today we visited Blenheim Palace. This cost us the princely sum of £82 for two annual memberships, the only ticket that they sell. Ouch. It was a beautiful sunny day and it was quite quiet which was a bonus. There are statues and fountains in the beautiful gardens, through which flows the River Cherwell. We visited the state rooms of the palace which were decorated with grand furniture, tapestries and paintings. We walked around the gardens along the river, and then visited the large walled garden and explored the maze, which was hilarious; I got totally lost and James had to rescue me! 
In the evening we went a cinema in Oxford to see the latest Bridget Jones film, which was fairly enjoyable although predictable, and inevitably rather sad in places due to its subject matter of bereavement. Our Premier Inn at Oxford Airport is only a twenty minute drive into the town centre, and also very near Blenheim Palace. 

Welcome to the family Harris!

I have a new Grand-Cat! His name is Harris and he is a wee brother to Skye. Not biologically, but in the same way as Tom and Floof. I’m so pleased that Davie and Chanel have decided to get another cat as Skye’s companion. Skye was a year old rescue cat when they got her but Harris is only nine weeks old and comes from a farm in Lanark. I went to visit him this afternoon- he is so cute! He is a black and white kitten and his markings are beautiful. He is very active and runs about constantly, playing with his toy mouse. James and I have both fallen in love with him. Skye was quite shy when I arrived, but she soon came out from behind the couch to say hello. Davie told me that she is already showing an interest in Harris although she’s not sure about his loud miaowing! I’m sure that they will soon be good friends. 
Alison and Hugh stayed overnight with us last night on their way back from their holiday to Tenerife. It was great to see them and they both looked tanned and healthy after their holiday. After breakfast they set off northwards to be reunited with their gorgeous cats Ash and Birch. 

70th Birthday Afternoon Tea

On Sunday I went to Janet’s 70th birthday afternoon tea (her actual birthday was Monday 24th Feb) at Prestonfield House in Edinburgh. This lovely hotel is very near Janet’s house and we have walked in its grounds many times when the boys were wee. There were about a dozen of us from different parts of Janet’s life and she had helpfully put our relationship to her on our placecards! For example mine said Susan Anderson, Cousin; while others said “Walking Group” or “Neighbour” or “School Friend.” It made for a good conversation starter as we all discussed where and when we had met Janet. The afternoon tea was delightful and was served on display stands, with copious amounts of Prosecco (including non alcoholic Prosecco) and tea and coffee. There was a quiz and a lot of chat and laughter; I really liked Janet’s friends and also enjoyed reconnecting with her sister-in-law Jill who I haven’t seen for many years. And it was great getting the chance to chat with Anne, what a delightful young woman she is. 
Monday was intense. I spent the morning observing three Children’s Hearings. They were virtual hearings but I managed to join the meetings ok; there was a really good virtual support person who ensured that everyone was signed in and sent them new links if there was a problem. It was all very interesting. 
And today James and I went over to Morag’s, it was very nice to see her and Gordon, and she made us a brilliant lunch. It’s the first time that we have visited her home, which is absolutely beautiful. 
It will come as no surprise to those who know me that I lack self confidence and can be hurt all too easily. But today James said some very kind things to me. I was very moved; he really has my back. And coincidentally three separate people all happened to reach out to me today to arrange to meet up. I felt touched; I’m really very lucky. 

A visit to Crail

This week has been busy because as soon as we arrived back from holiday I had to throw myself into preparation for my third Children’s Panel training day. This took me all of Monday, and then Tuesday was the training day itself which was intense as usual. On Wednesday David and Chanel popped round after Chanel’s hospital appointment about her injured hand. The specialist hopes that it will heal without needing surgery which is good news. It was great to see them both and we had lunch and a lovely chat. 

And today James and I travelled through to Crail to see Margaret and to visit her new home for the first time. I have already seen photos of it but of course it is even better to actually be there. It is a fabulous house with views of the sea, and less than five minutes walk to the beach. It is also in walk-in condition, beautifully decorated and with a huge garden at the back. It has a garden at the front too and is situated above the level of the road so it’s nice and private. We walked to the nearby Crail Harbour Café for an excellent light lunch. We have been there before, little did we know that one day Margaret would be living a stone’s throw from it! We also briefly met Margaret’s gorgeous cat Kenzie, who has travelled all the way from Arizona with Margaret to her new home in Scotland. 

Back to Toulouse

Our time in Toulouse has flown past. On Friday we had petit déjeuner at a restaurant in the main square which was lovely and very French. Then we set off by car to Carcassone. It is an absolutely beautiful town in two parts; the medieval city on the hill and the town across the river. We walked right round the ramparts, which was about 1.4 km, and explored the castle. The views across the red roofs of the town were so beautiful. There is a great legend about how Carcassonne got its name; after Charlemagne besieged the city the lady of the city, Dame Carcas, fattened up a pig with the last of their supplies of grain and then had it thrown from the castle wall; it landed in front of the attackers and exploded. Charlemagne was convinced by this that the residents must still have plenty of supplies so he gave up the siege. As they rode away Dame Carcas started the city bells ringing in triumph. One of Charlemagne’s knights said the him, “Dame Carcas sonne!” We walked across the bridge to the lower town and then had lunch in a wee square at the top of the hill just under the castle walls; James and Ally had cassoulet which is the local speciality. 
Since Friday was Valentine’s Day we encouraged Ally and Cat to go out for a romantic meal in the city by themselves. James and I went to a nearby restaurant which served tapas and had our own wee romantic meal!
The highlight of Saturday was our much anticipated trip to the Airbus factory. James has fancied visiting this for years so he was delighted. I had managed to book us two tours; one of the A400M and a longer tour by bus of the manufacturing area of the A350. We also had plenty of time in the museum and went on the Concorde which was on display. 
On Sunday we went for a walk all around the centre of Toulouse and had breakfast at the main square again. It was good to get to know the city better; it is very attractive. We visited the Basilique Saint-Sernin, a prominent Romanesque church, and crossed the Pont St Pierre and the ancient Pont Neuf (well I suppose it was new once!) My favourite place was the Couvent des Jacobins with its gorgeous cloisters and colourful stained glass which made beautiful patterns as the light shone through it on to the pink walls. 

Snowmobiling!

Davie and Chanel left Pas de la Casa at 3 a.m. this morning to travel to Barcelona for their flight home. When we went down for breakfast without them I really missed them. James, Ally, Cat and I checked out of the hotel, and went by car to Gras Roig for a special treat; Ally and Cat had booked a Snowmobile session for James’ birthday! It was a breathtakingly beautiful morning and we had great fun. We have never been snowmobiling before and it was both exhilarating and very speedy; at some points I thought that I was going to bounce right off the snowmobile.
Then we went to Andorra La Vella, the tiny capital city of this tiny country. Set in a steep-sided valley it was a prosperous looking town with lots of sculptures and high end shops. We had lunch in Restaurant 120 in the main shopping street where Cat and I had tasty Escalivada, a traditional Catalan dish of smoky grilled vegetables, served as a toastie. We travelled back through the mountains and over the border into France, and on to Toulouse where Cat had booked a smart apartment near the city centre, so we could walk everywhere. We had dinner at a wee restaurant called La Binocle where the waiter was absolutely determined to impose his terrible English on us even though I was speaking to him in my perfectly acceptable (if I say so myself) French. He also seemed nervous about the process of being a waiter and said things like “I’m going to clear away your plates now. Is that ok?” The food was excellent and we headed to bed replete and tired after our exciting day. 

Fondue

This morning was our last ski day and we headed over to Grau Roig. I was delighted that I skied the big red so much better this time, encouraged by Davie who led me down part of the way when it was particularly steep. Then onto some blues which were in great condition and uncrowded. I split from the others at this point and skied on my own for a bit, finishing with the long blue run Pista Port which took me right to the wee café where we exit the slopes. It was such an excellent last run of the holiday for me, I felt full of confidence, used all of my skills and as a bonus I had the run almost completely to myself. 
I returned my skis and met up with Chanel at the ski hire shop, and we travelled by bus and minibus to Grau Roig. We had our lunch with the others at the same wee restaurant that we ate at on Monday but this time we dined indoors because it had started to snow quite heavily. After a hearty and tasty meal the others went off to ski some more and Chanel and I made our way back to the hotel by bus. I was strangely tired and had an hour’s nap before getting showered and ready for dinner; we went to El Provençal where we had a delicious fondue. 

Football and Music

Day 3 of our lessons and unfortunately Chanel was not with us because of her injury yesterday. Santiago was dismayed that she had been hurt. The cloud was sweeping through the valley, sometimes almost completely obscuring the runs, and the next minute we were back to sunshine again. Santi said that when the cloud is low the ski instructors call the valley Mordor! After an hour my right knee was hurting quite a bit; I decided that discretion was the better part of valour and said my farewells and returned to the hotel. To look on the bright side this gave Cat nearly two hours of individual tuition, which she made the most of and enjoyed. 
Chanel and I took the Els Pioners gondola to meet the others for lunch at the open air restaurant at the top. Luckily the cloudy start to the day had transformed into a sunny afternoon so it was warm enough to sit outside, and it was very pleasant having our lunch while chatting and watching the skiers on the mountain. 
In the afternoon Chanel and I went for a walk around the town and had a look in the several small supermarkets to see if there was anything interesting. There was lots of booze and cigarettes and perfume; all I bought was a few snacks. It was a good wee walk. James and Cat arrived at the hotel shortly after we got back; they had enjoyed their afternoon on the slopes until they felt ready to head back. Ally and Davie stayed out on the pistes until closing time as usual; I’m really proud that they are such good skiers. Cat and I went for a swim and jacuzzi in the spa, which helped to stretch and relax my tired leg muscles. 
We had such a great evening. After a delicious dinner we arrived in the busy bar just as a family was about to vacate the best seats in the house; the two big couches beside the fire. As we settled in with our drinks a football match between Manchester City and Real Madrid started on the big screen across from us, and an excellent singer / guitarist sang in Catalan, Spanish and English. I felt very happy. 

Grau Roig

Today we girls had our second ski lesson while the boys again skied far and wide around the mountains and valleys of Grandvalira. This time Santi took us on blue runs while we practised what we learned yesterday. I wasn’t skiing as well as I did yesterday for some reason, but I still enjoyed the lesson. Meanwhile Cat and Chanel continued to make excellent progress. Both girls had changed their ski boots yesterday afternoon and felt more comfortable, and they were on great form. We had a couple of scary moments on one of the chairlifts; first of all I fell at the top when I was getting off and I think that I have bruised my coccyx because it feels very tender. Santiago claimed that it was his fault because he crossed one my skis with his, but I think that he was just being nice. My dignity was hurt worse than my backside as I rolled awkwardly out of the way of the next chair before Santi helped me up! Then we were getting onto the same chairlift later when Chanel suddenly slipped off the seat onto the ground in front of the chair. With a horrible inevitability, the chair hit her as we moved forwards, knocking her to the ground. The chairlift was stopped; I was absolutely horrified and thought that she must be injured but her helmet had protected her and not only was she was fine, she calmly got back onto the chairlift and continued skiing like a champion! 
The boys met us at the bottom of the gondola and took us over to Grau Roig for lunch. We skied down a big red which was steep at the start and I made too many turns at first, which annoyed me, but I improved as I descended, and then we skied a couple of blues. We had lunch at the excellent 3 Estanys restaurant (which is Catalan for Three Lakes.) We all had a lovely lunch and chat. Then James and I decided that our legs were tired and set off back to the hotel, ending with the nice long blue run Pista Port from the Diagonal chairlift. The only problem was that it was quite busy with other skiers heading back to Pas de la Casa so my skiing deteriorated again and I was glad to take my skis off at the wee café from where we walked the short distance back to the hotel. Meanwhile the young folk skied onwards with the energy of youth, skied into two further valleys, and were on their way back when Chanel fell and was injured; possibly a torn ligament at the base of her thumb. She had to get a plaster cast at the nearby medical centre and then our heroes Ally and Cat took the hire car to Grau Roig to collect her and Davie. When we met up with her and Davie for drinks in the bar before dinner she was being very brave despite the pain, and after our usual hearty repast we had a very pleasant evening playing cards in the bar. 

Smugglers in Pas de la Casa

Here we are in the very comfortable and friendly Grand Pas Hotel in Pas de la Casa in Andorra! James and I are having a pre dinner drink in the bar, where we will soon be joined by Ally, Cat, Davie and Chanel. Today was our first day of skiing in Andorra and it did not disappoint. Cat, Chanel and I had the first of our three lessons from 9 until 12 with the truly lovely Santiago; Santi for short. He is Argentinian and speaks excellent English, some of which he learned from his favourite television series Outlander. This led him recently to address one of his clients as “Mistress” which she pointed out is no longer used to address a lady in the way that it was in the 18th century! Santi soon got the measure of where we each are in our skiing journeys and taught us accordingly. It was great fun. I was very impressed by both Cat and Chanel, neither of whom have skied for a good few years, and who were soon making beautiful turns down the slopes. As we went up the chairlift Santi was telling me that the little river right beside the pistes is the border with France, and smugglers regularly cross it and then climb up into the mountains with contraband, mainly tobacco, fastened onto their backs with duct tape. He showed me a cardboard centre from a roll of duct tape which he had just picked up from the piste. This is because tobacco tax is lower in Andorra than in neighbouring Spain and France.

After our lesson we met the boys at the outdoors café at the foot of the gondola and had lunch sitting outside in the warm sunshine; it really felt quite like springtime. Then the boys and Cat went to ski some blue runs while Chanel and I went back to the ski hire shop to swap her ski boots which have been causing her calves to cramp. By the time we got back to the hotel James had just arrived back, Cat was practising on the green runs, and Ally and Davie were continuing to ski - which they did until 5 p.m.! 

No time Toulouse

Here we are back at Glasgow Airport for our second ski holiday of the season. It is very rare for us to go on two ski holidays in a year, in fact we have only done that once before I think, the year that we skied in New Zealand. However we couldn’t resist joining Ally, Davie, Cat and Chanel for a wee extra holiday to Pas de la Casa in Andorra, a new ski country for us. We are flying to Toulouse via Amsterdam. 

It didn’t really sink in how close the holidays were to each other until we washed our clothes from last week and realised that we needed to pack them straight into the cases again! Meanwhile it has been a busy week. We had to get the car repaired again - it was damaged in the garage car park so we didn’t have to pay thank goodness. I had Day 2 of my Children’s Panel training on Tuesday with the associated preparation, evaluation and “Quick Quiz” which is definitely a misnomer because it took me three hours. I enjoyed the training more this week; I was feeling better after my holiday and I’m beginning to see the logic of all the procedures. There’s still an awful lot to learn.

We caught up with a few people and James did some gardening and I did some booking tickets and admin. We started a new tv series called Severance which seems to be a lot of nonsense, and we enjoyed spending time with the cats. And now here we are in Prêt having coffees and pastries. 

You can't please everybody!

Our journey home on Saturday commenced at the civilised hour of 1.30 p.m. which meant that we had plenty of time for a leisurely breakfast and a stroll into the village centre for some last minute shopping. Of course the down side to this was that we didn't arrive home until about 9 o'clock at night, but the day passed smoothly and even the inevitable queue at check in wasn't too disheartening. The luggage belt broke at one point which halted the check in process temporarily but it got going again fairly quickly. Heather niftily nabbed us a wee table for four in the café after we went through security and we had drinks until it was time to board our slightly delayed plane. 

Just as I was returning from a last minute visit to the toilet I had a last minute encounter with Mr & Mrs P from our hotel, who were heading for their flight which was slightly before ours. Their table in the hotel restaurant was next to us and our ironic private nickname for them was Mr & Mrs Positive because they couldn't find a good thing to say about Madonna di Campiglio! They didn't like the layout of the resort, the quality of the piste maintenance or the lack of nightlife in the village. At first we were rather taken aback by this because we all genuinely thought that it is a truly lovely little village with great skiing, but we ultimately found it quite amusing. I bade Mr & Mrs P a pleasant farewell - some people just cannot be pleased! 

Reds, Blues and Blacks

Our last day of skiing and it didn't disappoint! The four of us set off together up the gondola and skied down to the bridge and up the Groste Cable car all the way to there top. James, Heather and Ewan set off to ski the black run up there and I skied using the Boch chairlift, using both the red and blue pistes. The red was hardly any steeper than the blue. The weather was a bit cloudier today but visibility was still good and the snow continued to be excellent. I met the others at the top of the Fortini lift where we had a coffee at Refugio Viviani. The others went to ski another black run, the one that you can see from our hotel, and they said that they found it to be hard going because it was 70% steep! Meanwhile I skied down to the village on my usual blue runs, and got the gondola Cinque Laghi up to Raita Natalia where I met James, Heather and Ewan for lunch. And it was a splendid lunch in the attractive restaurant overlooking the snowy mountains. I had herb flan which was absolutely fantastic. Then off we set again for our last runs of the day; I went down the big zig-zagging blue and the others skied the red. What a great day of skiing it was; I have skied for four days out of five (the lifts were off on Tuesday) and I felt that I ended the week on a high. 

We did the usual end of holiday routines; returned our skis, went for a last drink to our favourite bar, James, Heather and I went to the spa, and we had a final slap up dinner. Mr Positive from the next table told us that he wouldn't come back to Madonna di Campiglio because he doesn't like the village, the night life or the skiing! Everyone is entitled to their opinion but we have loved it here and I would return like a shot! We spent our last evening in the bar chatting about the holiday and playing Jenga, before finishing the last of the brandy in Heather and Ewan's room. 

More sun and more skiing

Today was another beautiful sunny day, and I decided that while the others skied towards Folgarida, I would attempt to book myself another ski lesson. This was slightly complicated because I wanted to book a morning lesson so I needed to stroll down to the Ski School office to book it in person. Luckily this did not take long because Madonna di Campiglia is quite small as well as very pretty, and surprisingly quickly I was at the top of the Pradalago lift where I skied my favourite run number 50 with its nearby variations several times. I decided that I wanted to get my sunglasses so I went back to the hotel briefly, and was still in plenty of time to meet my ski instructor at the bottom of the Fortini lift at midday. It was not Andrea this time, it was Sergio, who was very pleasant and asked me what I wanted to work on. I told him about yesterday’s lesson on balance so we did some more practice on the same lines and it was great. By the end of the lesson my legs felt quite tired and my right knee was twinging a bit, so I headed back to the hotel for a rest and to read my book. I made the mistake of lying down on the bed to read, so of course I fell asleep almost immediately and slept for an hour! Oh well I must have needed it! Meanwhile James, Heather and Ewan were having a great day too; they explored more areas of the resort and skied for 30 kilometres. 
When they returned to the resort we all went for a drink to Bar Dolomiti again, it’s such an attractive wee place. Then James and I went for a companionable stroll around the village before another tasty dinner and fun evening in great company. 

Brilliant Ski Day

Today I felt tip top and so was the weather! It’s the first time this week that we have had proper views of the mountains around Madonna di Campiglio and oh boy they are spectacular! The four of us headed up the mountain, skiing blue runs and enjoying the views of snowy mountains and trees with a backdrop of beautiful blue skies. This is the life! 

We then took the Passo Groste gondola right up to the top, and skied some more lovely blues before the others went to ski to Pinzolo and I made my way back down to the village on the gentle run number 66. A bit too gentle actually; it was pretty flat at the bottom and I had to pole along for a bit. I skied Fortini a couple of times, had a coffee sitting outside in the sunshine at Rifugio Viviani taking in the spectacular views and then went for my ski lesson. I met the very friendly Andrea at the foot of the Fortini lift and after observing me ski he said "You are not too bad!" which thrilled me. The lesson was spent attempting to correct my posture by leaning my upper body towards the valley rather than the mountains. At one point when I got a bit mixed up Andrea said "You think too much!" I said, "My husband says that too!" to which Andrea replied "Of course! It is because you are a woman!" which I thought was very funny. The instruction was slightly different from last year, but its all good and I thoroughly enjoyed the hour. In fact Andrea lost track of the time and we ran a good ten minutes over, at which point he pointed me back towards the hotel and rushed off. 

After drinks in the Bar Dolomiti in the village, Heather and I went for a swim and had a lovely chat while sitting in the jacuzzi area of the pool. Heather was able to find the button to switch on the jets, which I hadn't been able to find last time! Later was another huge and delicious dinner and we had a great laugh over all sorts of ridiculous topics including tv adverts of the 1970s.

Snowy Snowy Snowy

Today all of the lifts in the resort were closed, because of heavy snow and high winds. We were philosophical about this because we all know that it’s the risk you take when you go skiing in January. We have mostly been very lucky whether we have skied at the new year, January or Easter, and even when it has been snowy or misty it has never lasted for the whole week. However I felt a bit out of sorts, nothing to do with lack of skiing; I woke with a headache which didn’t really shift until dinner time. I did some Children’s Panel modules in the morning; I’m a wee bit concerned that the clientele will be too similar in many ways to those I worked with in my former job as a DHT. I will see how I feel after the next training day. After lunch Heather suggested that I might feel better after a walk down through the village so off we set. It was snowy and slushy underfoot, but it was good to get some fresh air and after a nap back at the room I fell much better in the evening, when we had our usual convivial dinner. The snow continued to fall heavily outside, it was really beautiful seeing the big flakes of snow descending past the windows. sunshine is predicted for tomorrow so fingers crossed! 

Back on the pistes, hooray!

Three years ago I skied but lacked confidence; I liked the resort of Lech very much but it had a few supposedly easy runs which were a bit tricky for me. Two years ago I had recently broken my wrist and I chose not to ski at all in Ortisei which was sad but a sensible decision. Last year we skied in Galtur, and I decided to take lessons, which I very much enjoyed, while the others skied in nearby Ishgl. So today was the first time that I have skied with James, Heather and Ewan for three years. The clouds were low and it was snowing on and off but the snow was great; very well pisted and plenty of it! I followed Heather and James down several lovely big blue runs, while Ewan very kindly brought up the rear to make sure that I was ok. And somewhat to my surprise I really was ok! My lessons last year in Galtur must have brushed up my technique because I was very happy on the runs, and I found myself turning with relative ease as well as side-slipping a bit when required. Most of all, it was great fun! Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t that great, but I felt relaxed and enjoyed myself. Since it was the others’ second day of skiing they knew the lie of the land and took me on suitable runs and ultimately showed me the way back to the hotel, which I will need to take by myself on Wednesday after my ski lesson. We finished skiing at lunch time because of the increasing snowfall, and ate huge pizzas at the Hungry Wolf Restaurant just across from out hotel. Later I went to the spa where I met Heather in the relaxation room, and we had a delicious meal and a lovely evening. 

Spa afternoon

It has snowed here in Madonna di Campiglio nearly all day, which didn't stop James, Heather and Ewan from spending a half day skiing despite the limited visibility. I did not accompany them for a couple of reasons. Firstly there was a mix-up when booking which left me without a lift pass. For reasons of tact and discretion I will say no more. And the weather was so snowy and misty that I was content to delay the start of my skiing, so we arranged for my new lift pass to start tomorrow. Instead I went for a wander down through the village which is very picturesque. I managed to find the little supermarket where I stocked up on some snacks, and browsed around a couple of souvenir shops, where the usual display of wooden figurines, red and white checked tablecloths and cushion covers with alpine scenes were on sale. 

Back at the hotel I worked on my Children's Panel preparation for about an hour and then took myself to the small but delightful spa on the ground floor of the hotel. There is a little swimming pool with jacuzzi jets, a sauna, steam room and a "relaxation room" with loungers, which was strangely chilly.

Later I met up with James, Heather and Ewan for drinks in the bar. Our hotel, the Alpen Vidi, is first class, with a cosy bar and really excellent food. Another great choice by Ewan.

Journey to Madonna di Campiglio

It was still quite wet and windy this morning when I went out to do a few errands before our flight. I could see quite a few trees and branches that had been knocked down by the wind onto the pavements; the roads were covered in twigs and leaves. A few fences were down and part of a wall had collapsed in Westcoats Road. If you multiply this all over Glasgow and Lanarkshire, the central belt of Scotland has had a right battering! 

We met Heather and Ewan at Glasgow airport and had a celebratory holiday lunch. Our flight was delayed about 45 minutes but I thought that was not too bad considering the weather yesterday; I had expected that there might be more delay. It was the usual rather long slog to get to our ski resort; after retrieving our luggage the bus trip from Verona into the mountains was 2 hours 45 minutes, along the main roads and then up and up the sharp turns of a zigzag road, and through several tiny villages before arriving at Madonna di Campiglio. Our village looks quaint and pretty, although it was too dark to see much. 

The Alpen Hotel Vidi is lovely and luxurious, and our room is modern and spacious, with a modern alpine wood vibe. It was well past dinner time so we were given platters of cold meat, cheese and vegetables, which we ate in Heather and Ewan’s room and had a pleasant chat. It’s good to be here. 

Storm Éowyn

Storm Éowyn arrived in all of its fury by mid morning. The windows rattled as the rain and wind lashed against them. From time to time we could hear bins crashing over outside, and Davie sent us a photo of their shed upended in their garden. We followed government instructions (having received a red alert on our phones yesterday) and spent the day indoors - although James nipped out early for a quick 4 km walk before the storm got to its peak. All schools in the central belt were closed as were many businesses and restaurants. 

I spent the morning packing for our ski holiday tomorrow, and then I joined James in the lounge where he had lit the fire. When Tom and Floof found out how cosy it was in there they joined us too, so we had a companionable and pleasant time. James read his book and I completed the “Quick Quiz” from my Children’s Panel Day 1 training. I don’t know why it was titled “Quick;” it took me more than two hours. In the evening we watched a film starring Woody Harrelson as a basketball coach who has to do community service with a team of young people who have additional support needs; it was a bit predictable but also quite funny and heart-warming. When we went to bed the wind and rain (in fact sleet) were still blowing horizontally past the windows, but the worst of the storm has passed. 

Much Preparation

My Children’s Panel training has got off to a faltering start. In my defence, I looked at the website before Christmas and did a couple of short pre-training courses, and I assumed that this was the preparation for the first training session of which we had been told. However I didn’t check the website at all in January; I wasn’t well of course but also I just didn’t think about it. I arrived at the training room in the Leonardo Hotel in Glasgow bright and early on Tuesday morning for my first day, only to be pleasantly but firmly turned away because I hadn’t completed the preparation for Day 1 of the training! Oh dear! When I got back home I logged in to the website and sure enough there were the training modules as well as several reminder emails. Mea culpa. 
The kind and efficient admin, Tina, booked me in for the next day’s training and I spent the rest of Tuesday completing the Introductory Preparation. It took ages. I submitted it in the afternoon but found to my horror that until it was assessed I would not be able to access my Session 1 Preparation. I phoned Tina first thing on Wednesday morning to explain and she very understandingly transferred me to the Thursday session. I spent all day Wednesday working on the Session 1 preparation, which included lots of reading, multiple choice assessments and preparing a case study. Wednesday was James’ 63rd birthday and we went out for a nice dinner to Six by Nico, the one in Byres Road. But when we got home I still had about another hour of studying to do. 
By the time I arrived back at the Leonardo Hotel on Thursday morning I felt well prepared, but it was a full on day; there is so much to learn. By the end I was absolutely exhausted and strangely close to tears. James heated up hearty home made bean stew for dinner and we watched the last couple of episodes of the ridiculous Scottish drama The Rig and I felt much better. 

Getting Better

It is taking a long time to get over this chest infection. I’m getting better every day but I’m still wheezy and unfeasibly tired. I have started going out for short walks near to home; one day James and I walked a 5 km round trip to Burnside where we had coffee, and another day I took Vinnie out for a walk around the parks because Rachel and John were at a meeting. It was great to spend some time with Vinnie again, I told him about my grand-dog Whisky but Vinnie was more interested in chasing his ball! Heather and Ewan came for dinner and I made a beef tagine which turned out well; I made myself roasted vegetables using the same spices of cinnamon and ginger. James made his famous crème brûlées for dessert which were perfect, and we served them with pomegranate seeds to give them a middle-eastern twist. I had coffee with Christine in Dunlop and we have had a curry with Davie and Chanel, so I am easing my way back into society! 

Antibiotic Woman

I have just taken my 5th antibiotic tablet and though I don’t feel tip top yet, my ear has stopped hurting and my cough feels less dreadful. I still feel full of cold symptoms but I have high hopes that I’m on the mend. 

We are now back in Cambuslang which is cold and dreich, unlike the beautiful but treacherous snowy streets of Ullapool. Cornel and Heather came to visit us in Ullapool for a couple of days at the weekend and were delightful guests. I put as brave a face on my lurgy as I possibly could and James says that I appeared to be fine apart from a bit of coughing and sneezing. Heather and I went for a walk around the icy streets of the village and we both thought that we were walking at a reasonable pace when two teenage girls just strolled past us much faster! It was very funny! Meanwhile James and Cornel went for a much longer and snowier walk up the valley past Loch Achall and across the hills. We had a lovely dinner at the Caley Bistrot which was the only place open, most restaurants having gone into hibernation for the winter. I really enjoyed Cornel and Heather’s company and we had some great chats but when they left on Sunday morning I kind of virtually collapsed and James had to do all of the driving on the way home. And I have spent the last couple of days resting, mostly in bed, as well as obtaining antibiotics from a very sensible and knowledgeable prescribing pharmacist. Luckily I have had the company of Tom and Flora. Tom has been pulling the cat nip plants out of their wire container; there are bits of leaves and soil all round it. And Flora has been cuddling up to me rather touchingly. 

Even more snow

It’s still snowing in Ullapool and I still have the lurgy. At least I’m warm and cosy, and I think I’m getting a bit better apart from my wheezy, rattling chest and sore ear. The road from Ullapool to Inverness varies between “passable with care” and blocked by snow, but we won’t be heading home until Sunday when it should all be clear. 
James is being particularly pleasant to me as I recover; last night he found a French film on some obscure television channel for me to watch and today he brought in potato scones for lunch. The French film was Maigret Se Trompe and was excellent, one of a series of 1990s Maigret films made for television starring Bruno Cremer. 
The trouble is that I’m currently a bit wary of going outside. You would think that a healthy walk around the village would be beneficial to a chest infection but every time I have done so (about every second day) I feel more wheezy and out of breath when I get back, and my ear gets sorer too. Maybe it’s the cold air - the temperature in the north of Scotland is due to drop to -16 deg tonight!  

Snowy and Lurgy

The weather has continued to be cold, with snow showers and icy pavements. Despite having at least a dozen woolly hats at home in Cambuslang I had neglected to bring even one of them to Ullapool, so today James kindly spent £4 on a sparkly purple beanie hat in the Woollen Mill sale. Despite the name of the shop there is no wool in the beanie; it is 99% polyester and 1% metallic thread so no sheep has been near it! It feels very cosy, and also necessary because I have developed a bad cold which is lingering annoyingly, particularly in my chest which is rattling, my stuffy nose, and strangely my right ear. James also got me a hot water bottle yesterday which I have been holding against my ear. 

So because of this horrible cold I have been having an enforcedly quiet time here in Ullapool. I have encouraged James to enjoy himself, go for walks etc but I feel bad for not joining in. This morning we were surprised to see Calmac’s new ship, the Glen Sannox, sailing along the loch outside our window, heading westwards. This ship is currently nearly seven years late after many problems, both technical and financial, during its build. It is also way over budget (from £97 million to more than £400 million so far) and doesn’t even fit Ardrossan Harbour so it will need to sail from Troon to Brodick instead until Ardrossan Harbour is upgraded - which will be years away. And apparently the liquified natural gas that it runs on (as well as marine gas oil, a low-sulphur type of diesel) is not even as eco friendly as promised. It was up here to conduct crew familiarisation trials before starting to take passengers to Arran, and needless to say more technical issues were found, however I think that they are determined to start service on 13th January.

Pulling Mussels from a Shell

The snow continued during the night and we woke to a winter wonderland, with the village and mountains clothed in a snowy blanket. We walked around the village in the afternoon and enjoyed the snowy views. We watched the seagulls at the harbour to see where they were finding mussels to drop onto the pier to crack open, and realised that they grab them off the wooden legs underneath the pier at low tide. Then they fly around a bit with the mussel in their beak before choosing a good place for the big drop, and swoop down to feast on it. As we walked back to the cottage the sky over the Summer Isles was an amazing dark grey-blue and violet; James said that it looked bruised and I think that’s a very good description. 
In the evening we watched a film called “The Killer” starring Michael Fassbender; it was a sombre but quite compelling thriller and we enjoyed it. The reason that I wanted to watch it was that it was being filmed in Paris when we were there in May 2023 on a street on the Île Saint Louis. I could see that some of it was filmed in a street near the Panthéon but I didn’t really recognise the streets that the main character then raced through on a motorcycle. And I didn’t see any sign of James and I strolling along in the distance! 

The Northern Lights welcome 2025

It has been a delightful start to 2025. I still have a very rattly chest cold but I decided to accompany James on a walk around the village to get some fresh air. The village was very quiet and the few people who were strolling around were all wishing each other a Happy New Year. The weather was sunny, in a window between the rain and sleet that began and ended the day, and the sea was very calm and the mountains looked beautiful, dusted with snow. When we were walking on the pier a Norwegian fisherman on his ship called down a New Year’s greeting to us. We walked along to the creel Christmas tree and then found that the Ceilidh Place was open for lunch (about the only place in the village that was open) so we popped in for coffee and fruit scones before heading home. 

Later on there was a bright pink aurora borealis in the skies above the village which seemed like a rosy welcome to the New Year. And later still the sleet turned to snow for a little while and lay rather prettily on the garden. A good start to the year.