No heatwave in Ullapool

We are back in Ullapool for the next fortnight. We arrived yesterday. While Europe is sweltering in temperatures of up to 44 degrees and the south of England is having a heatwave at 34 degrees, the temperature is a lot cooler here in the north of Scotland! The daytime temperature is about 17 degrees, which I actually quite like, because I struggle in the heat. So today I walked up Ullapool Hill, where I appreciated the cool breeze which kept me from overheating. However it was also grey and a bit drizzly, so I’m hoping for a bit more sunshine, and the forecast is mixed for the next couple of weeks so we’ll go outside when we can. It’s lovely to be back here though, just us and the cats. 
In the previous few days we did some clearing and tidying around the house, I had my hair cut, we had lunch with Davie, I had lovely coffees with Chanel and Rachel, and we both had coffee with Alison Kennedy with whom we chatted about the old days in Cambuslang. 
Meanwhile on Friday Jennifer and Russell, who are in France, went on the painting day which we gave Jennifer for her 60th birthday. It was with an ex pat British artist called Adam Cope, who runs various courses. They seem to have enjoyed the experience, however it was a long day in the woods and although they had packed lunches and water, there were no cups of tea provided! Russ almost permanently has a large mug of tea in each hand, one for himself and one for whoever he happens to meet in the house, so this was indeed a hardship. They sent us photos of their paintings, which were very impressive. Jennifer is already an accomplished artist, and Russ’s painting was very good; the day course was intended to be fun rather than just instruction. However Jennifer said that she did learn a lot so I hope that she feels inspired, and maybe Russ will too once he gets over his “lack of tea” trauma! 
On Saturday evening we had Cornel and Heather round for dinner, which turned out very well, especially the Tiramisu if I say so myself! In all fairness, James’ gazpacho was also excellent. 

Who needs Glasto when we have Glasgow!

James and I have been to two excellent but very different concerts this week. On Tuesday we went to see Sparks at the Concert Hall, I think it’s the third time that we have seen them. James had got us great seats and the music was so good; Russell Mael still has a very decent voice at the age of 76, and his big brother Ron on the keyboards is 79! It was impressive that they have just released a new album, their 38th, and played new music as well as their old favourites. The audience was rapturous and  we enjoyed it very much. 

And then on Friday we went to see Simple Minds at Bellahouston Park. The concert was outdoors and the weather forecast was terrible; there was 80% chance of rain! So we dressed in our waterproofs, including waterproof trousers. The only problem was that it was really warm, so although the rain did arrive, I felt quite hot and clammy! Neither of us have seen Simple Minds before. They were genuinely huge in the 1980s so it was good to get the chance to see them even though we were about 40 years late to the party! Jim Kerr and the rest of the band seemed to be genuinely enjoying performing, and we certainly enjoyed watching them. My only slight comment was that some of their best known songs were a bit samey, but they were all great and James and I loved our evening. 

Sunny Summer Solstice

The summer solstice took place on Saturday morning at 3.42 a.m. and it was another hot day. It was nice to see everyone in their summer clothes on the Main Street. However it was overcast and there was one sudden shower, which was inconvenient because I was sketching in the garden and had to scurry indoors with my art stuff! James arrived back from his camping trip to Glen Feshie in the afternoon; he had a great time and did lots of hill-walking as well as a 16 km round trip by bicycle into the hills. It was so warm that he didn’t need to worry about being cold in his tent, which he pitched beside a stream. 
Kerry has been sending me photos of wedding dresses that she has been trying on. I’m so touched that she is involving me all the way from New Zealand. Needless to say she looks beautiful in all of the dresses! It is eighteen months until Kerry and Jamie’s wedding and I’m sure that the time will fly by. 
Rain arrived on Sunday as predicted but the temperature hasn’t dropped much; it’s still summery. We went for lunch to the Duke’s Umbrella in Argyle Street, using a voucher kindly given to us by Marjory and Forrest. And then we spent the whole afternoon working on the Anderson and Eadie family photos. Neither of us really wanted to tackle it because it’s so time-consuming, but once we got started we managed to finish the whole of the 1950s and felt sense of progress and satisfaction. The task involved an investigation to identify a war memorial in front of which a family group, including James’ Dad, was standing. We assumed wrongly that it was in Scotland, but then James remembered that the Andersons sometimes went on holiday to Scarborough. He did a quick internet search and sure enough it was Scarborough War Memorial, with its quotation from Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, “So he passed over, and all the trumpets sounded for him on the other side.”
Heather and Ewan came round for coffee this afternoon, we made madeleines for them in order to continue our recent French theme after our fabulous trip to Paris. We chatted about our holiday and their cycling holiday in the Loire Valley, which sounded marvellous. 
Later I finished my painting of the staircase at the Hameau de la Reine; it’s very amateur but I’m really pleased to be drawing and painting again. 

Delightful summer weather

Oh it’s warm and lovely! It reached 27 degrees on this beautiful summers day, and I have spent almost all day in the garden. It has been splendid. Davie popped round for lunch and we strolled down to Miller’s Bistro on the Main Street. I was surprised (although gratified) to find it to have air-conditioning, surely a first for Cambuslang Main Street. It must be a result of our changing climate. Then we headed home and sat under the pear trees at the top of the garden and ate ice lollies. The cats love us being outside so they appeared and kept an eye on us. Davie noticed a huge and amazing peony growing all by itself among other plants in the flowerbed beside the path to the shed; it is white and fully opened, so beautiful. 
Hilary arrived for coffee in the afternoon; of course we sat outside for our chat which was very pleasant. And after Hilary left I stayed in the garden; I did some drawing and read my book and looked up at the blue sky through the verdant branches of the trees and listened to a blackbird singing very loudly. I had plenty of things that I could have been getting in with in the house, but the weather was just too good to stay indoors. 

Social and Sunshine

It has been a social week. On Sunday, which was Fathers’ Day, Davie and Chanel treated us to a celebratory curry. We had a lovely evening with them, full of laughter as we related our anecdotes of Paris. James and I had brunch with Gerry and Janis on Tuesday at All Bar One where we saw lots of photos of beautiful wee Rory, who has gorgeous and very expressive eyes. 
EK book club was at my house on Tuesday and we had a really good laugh, but also discussed some very serious current issues in education; the workload seems to be getting worse and worse for teachers in schools. Too many great teachers are leaving the profession in their 30s or 40s, including two who go to the book club, one of whom has just resigned. It is a huge loss to the profession; the councils / government are driving good people beyond their limits. However I applaud these brilliant women for having the courage to walk away, hopefully to a brighter and more rewarding future. I sometimes wish that I had been a bit bolder in my life choices. 

I had a lovely trip up the Clyde Valley on Wednesday with Janet McDougall to Rosebank Garden Centre for lunch and then Garrion Bridge Garden Centre for coffee.  

This morning I had coffee at Costa with Monica who was telling me all about her daughter’s recent hen weekend in Reims, France, which sounded fabulous. 
And as well as a lot of hilarity, some serious issues were discussed, both personal and regarding the unrest all around the world, when I met up with my lovely school friends aka Ladies who Lunch today. We had our usual lengthy lunch and chatted for ages; one of us is going through a particularly hard time with family health just now and was not able to attend; we were all thinking of her and she messaged us during our meal which was reassuring. 
The weather is set to become warmer and warmer in the UK over the next few days and when I got home from town I was able to sit outside in the garden. It’s not quite as warm as Paris was last week, but still pretty good, and sitting outside on the patio was like stepping into a warm bath! 

Investigating a Bugler

James and I went over to Muirhead Vaccination Clinic this morning to get our second and last Cholera prevention drink. After waiting the obligatory ten minutes to make sure that we did not have any adverse reaction we decided to go for a walk, and James suggested nearby Drumpellier Park. What a difference in temperature to our sunny and sweltering walk in Chantilly on Saturday! Here the weather is cloudy and much cooler, but it’s still summery and the park was filled with wild flowers and grasses. We extended our walk through the woods and circled back to the very nice visitor centre for a coffee. 
Back home I started painting a watercolour of some flowers that I saw at the Hameau de la Reine at Versailles; I feel inspired by all the beautiful gardens that I saw in Paris and its environs. Still on a French theme, James and I made some madeleines. We baked them using a madeleine mould that we bought two years ago in Paris, in a big cookware shop that we wandered into in Les Halles. It’s the first time that we have used it but better late than never! The madeleines didn’t rise quite as much as they should have, probably because I didn’t chill the batter, but they tasted absolutely delicious and very lemony. 
I have also been doing a bit of detective work. When we were having lunch at Au Clairon des Chasseurs in Montmartre last week, Ewan pointed out a striking mural painted on one of the walls inside. It consisted of a French military bugler, sitting in a relaxed manner on the edge of a table, dressed all in blue with a blue cap and white gaiters, backpack on his back. Ewan and the rest of us speculated about the origin of this mural; was it a copy of a well known painting? Did the soldier date from the 1st World War or earlier?
The bugler stuck in my mind and last night I browsed around the internet to try to find him, using reverse image search to no avail, and typing various descriptions of him, also unsuccessfully. Finally I turned to online community Reddit and uploaded the photo that I had taken of the mural, asking for help in identifying it. And when I woke up this morning I was delighted to have received a reply from a kindly person who had found the original photograph of the bugler, upon which a military artist called Alphonse de Neuville had based one of the characters in his painting “Eclaireurs d'avant-garde franchissant une rivière (Crimée)” which he exhibited in 1869. In the painting, the bugler is transposed from a table to the front of a boat crossing a river. This possibly dates the original photograph to the 1850s and I was very surprised that artists sometimes used photographs as resources as far back as the mid 19th century. In fact my investigation has raised many more questions in my mind about 19th century military art and I have thoroughly enjoyed it! 

Château de Chantilly

Yesterday was our last day in France and we decided to spend it by visiting the Château de Chantilly and its gardens, only half an hour’s walk from our hotel. It is very beautiful, set in verdant grounds beside a lake. It was the home of the Ducs de Condé for several centuries, but the last of their line, Henri d’Orléans, donated it to the French state in 1889.
It is actually made up of two buildings; the Petit Château which was built in about 1560, and the Grand Château, which was destroyed during the French Revolution and rebuilt in the 1870s. The new part blends in very well with the old; you can’t really tell the difference, but I realised that the new bit is not much older than our house! It has a fantastic art gallery called the Musée Condé, apparently the biggest collection of paintings in France outside of the Louvre. It specialises in French and Italian paintings and book illuminations of the 15th and 16th centuries. My favourite was the Three Graces by Raphael.
Back outside we went for a long walk around the grounds, keeping to the shade where possible because it was another very hot day. I had thought that the thunder and lightning during the night would have cooled down the atmosphere but it was still very warm. We had lunch at the Hameau restaurant, cool and idyllic among tall trees. Interestingly the hameau at Chantilly was Marie Antoinette’s inspiration for her own hameau at Versailles. However this one, rather than being an idealised peasant village, was intended to look like a hamlet from the outside but amaze the host’s guests with its opulent interiors. 
We walked right up to and around the wee round lake at the very end of the gardens, and then meandered through gardens which had roses and statues, and along paths back to the castle and to the royal stables beyond. By the time we got back to the hotel I was very overheated and a bit grumpy, however I was proud that I had managed to walk more than ten kilometres on such a scorching day. We had checked out of our room in the morning but we were able gradually to cool down in the air-conditioned foyer of our hotel, where we drank lovely complimentary chilled water and read our books. We took an Uber to Paris Charles de Gaulle which only took about thirty-five minutes. All seemed to be going so smoothly, however it was a bit irritating that our flight was then delayed nearly an hour and that it was full of over-tired children who were worn out and some of them crying loudly after the excitement of their trip to Disney! Their parents looked even more exhausted! We were home by 12.30 although that was 1.30 a.m. French time so after an affectionate reunion with Tom and Floof we soon dived into bed. 

Senlis Cathedral

Here we are in beautiful and hot Chantilly, north of Paris, while unfortunately war and mayhem continues around the world. An air crash in India has killed 240 people, with one man miraculously surviving. And Israel has just attacked Iran, killing several of its leaders. It all seems very far away from here. This morning, James and I took a taxi to the neighbouring small town of Senlis. This beautiful medieval town, with remnants of its original walls still standing, has at its centre a magnificent cathedral. It was market day and the narrow streets were lined with stalls loaded with fresh vegetables, fish, honey and jams, crafts and clothes. We visited the ruins of the castle, which was abandoned in the 17th century when the Royals transferred their allegiance to Versailles. After coffee at a wee French café called Le Voltigeur, we headed into the cathedral, the smallest of the Picardie cathedrals but still very impressive. (The largest cathedral in the area is Amiens, which we have visited before.) There was a beautiful stained glass window about the life of Louis IX, starting at the bottom with him as a baby, then working upwards through his Crusader years to his death, and finally right at the top his ascension into heaven. There was a statue of Joan of Arc, who fought the English near here, and a memorial to a local priest who worked in the French Resistance during the 2nd World War; he died in a concentration camp in January 1945. It was an interesting visit and the interior of the cathedral was delightfully cool, which was great because it was a very hot day at 35 deg C, the hottest yet of our holiday.  
We visited a little crêperie under the shade of lime trees, and we both had lemon and sugar crêpes which were absolutely delicious. 
Back in Chantilly we had dinner at Le Sylvia brasserie before heading back to our excellent Best Western Hotel. The sky was a dark metallic colour and the air felt very close and thick, the heat was still coming up off the pavements. 
We heard rumbling sounds coming from outside and when we opened the windows onto our balcony there was a loud crash of thunder, followed by lightning which lit up the whole sky! It was very exciting and heralded large drops of rain that became heavier and heavier. The thunder and lightning continued into the night. 

Jardins des Tuileries et du Luxembourg

Today was our last morning with Heather and Ewan before they set off by train at lunch time for their cycling holiday in the Loire Valley. Heather suggested the Jardin des Tuileries which is a twenty minute walk from our hotel in St Germain. What a great idea; the gardens were looking very summery and the balloon which featured in the opening ceremony of last year’s Olympics is being reconstructed in the middle. Catherine de Medici built a palace there in 1564 but it is long gone and now the Tuileries are a lovely green and tree-lined space bordering the Seine, between the Louvre and the Place de la Concorde. There are lots of classical white statues, and two small lakes with chairs beside them for relaxation, we sat there briefly to enjoy the views. It was apt for this Revolution centred holiday that we ended up in Place de la Concorde, the site of so many executions by guillotine during the Terror that, in my opinion, ruined the initially good intentions of the French Revolution. We walked back towards the hotel and had cool drinks in a café among the trees in the Tuileries on our way. 
All too soon it was time to bid farewell to Heather and Ewan; it has been a brilliant holiday and we will miss them. 
In the afternoon we did a wee bit of shopping and then decided to walk to the Jardin du Luxembourg, which we haven’t visited for years. The palace looks on to magnificent formal gardens; we particularly liked La fontaine Medici in its shady glade. 
We had a light lunch at the Table du Luxembourg. The service was very slow but we were in no hurry, the food was nice and the setting was very pretty among many lime trees. We collected our luggage from the hotel and traveled to Gare du Nord by Metro and then on to Chantilly which was only 25 minutes by the express train. Although the journey was straightforward I felt very hot and bothered as we walked the seven minutes to our hotel, a Best Western. I was so glad to get inside the air-conditioned foyer; our room is very spacious compared to the Artus and it has a balcony overlooking the hotel’s gardens. Across the road from the hotel is a park leading to the famous Chantilly racecourse. After dinner we went for a walk there and noticed that it is being prepared for a big race on Sunday; the Diane race. We will be gone by then but it was interesting to see the racecourse and to walk along to the former Royal stables, which are now a museum. 

Croissants, Napoleon and Montmartre

This morning Heather and I went to a baking class at Maison de Fleuret’s kitchens in Notre Dame district. There were seven of us in the class and we made croissants, pains au chocolat, and pains aux raisins. It was really good fun from start to finish and our instructor was skilful and very good-natured; she gave us clear instructions and excellent hints and tips. The work area was bright and cool and there was water and coffee available all morning. The other people in the class were an American grandmother, mother and grown-up daughter, and a Dutch father and ten year old daughter, and it was a lovely atmosphere. When we finished we took our pastries and strolled down to the Seine and across to the Île de la Cité and sat on a bench in the Square du Vert-Galant at the very end of the island. Meanwhile James and Ewan had been enjoying their own adventure. They walked to the Montparnasse Tower for an interactive Napoleon experience, where the life of Napoleon was relived through virtual reality headsets complete with flying cannonballs and cavalry charges. They both said that it felt very realistic and was very entertaining. Ewan announced happily that “all the hats were correct!” This referred to his complaint years ago about the TV series of War and Peace; he spotted that army hats were used in the series during a 1810 battle which had not actually been introduced until 1812. James and I were both amused and impressed at Ewan’s precise knowledge of military history! 

James and Ewan then headed to the Place Vendôme to see the column that Napoleon had erected using the bronze from the cannons captured at the Battle of Austerlitz, and then they joined us in the little park on Île de la Cité and we ate the pastries that Heather and I had made, which were excellent if I do say so myself. Light, golden and flaky. 

Our next destination was Montmartre; we travelled there by metro and then walked up the hill to Notre Dame. We had drinks and a leisurely lunch at Clairon des Chausseurs on Place du Tertre. The waiter was very friendly and after having our drinks outside, we moved to the cool(er) and spacious interior for lunch. Place du Tertre was bustling but not as busy as I have seen it, we could saunter around without it feeling too hemmed in. We walked past the beautiful Maison Rose and then James expertly navigated us (using google maps on his phone) down through the streets to Galeries Lafayette. We wanted to visit the rooftop restaurant because it has marvellous views all around Paris. It was pretty hot; 31 degrees - but we had cool drinks and relaxed and chatted. Excellent. 
Back at the Hotel Artus we had showers and a rest before dinner at a wee bistrot just along Rue de Buci. I had a delicious cheese and walnut risotto. We finished this splendid day with after dinner drinks at Café de Flore, once frequented by Jean Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir, among other 20th century intellectuals. It was rather warm inside so we sat outdoors in the slowly cooling Paris evening. Just lovely. 

Cycling at Versailles

James and I visited the Palace of Versailles for the first time on our honeymoon forty years ago, so I was very keen to return on our Ruby Anniversary visit to Paris. Today was actually James’ and my third visit, because we also visited Versailles two years ago, which reminded me how very beautiful are the gardens of the Palace. Heather and Ewan suggested that we go on a bike tour of the gardens, which was a great idea because the grounds of the palace are extensive and we could travel further by bike. They very generously organised and insisted on treating us to this outing, and it was an absolutely tremendous day. 
So this morning we had a fairly early start; we left the hotel at 7.30 a.m. and headed by metro to Javel-André Citroën station to meet our cycling guide, Dave, who then took us onwards by train to Versailles. Dave was friendly and very knowledgable; at the bike hire shop at Versailles he soon sorted out bikes for our group of eleven people. I was very excited but a bit apprehensive about cycling through the town to get to the palace grounds. I need not have worried, Dave guided us ably and I soon felt fairly confident. We shopped for a picnic lunch at the market and soon arrived at a side gate into the beautiful gardens. Our fellow travellers were a very pleasant group of people from different parts of the USA, including a couple from Denver, Colorado with a seven year old son called Harry, a couple who were about our own age from Nebraska, and a mother and daughter from Houston, Texas. Dave led us on a brilliant cycle route through the beautiful scenery, past the canal and along tree-lined avenues, stopping for a closer look at some of the gorgeous fountains on our way. We stopped at the far end of the lake for our picnic lunch and Dave gave us a lively and entertaining talk about the history of Versailles and the French Revolution. It really was idyllic. I should mention that I had an electric bike which was great fun, although the route was so level that I probably could have managed without it. Our next stop was Le Petit Trianon; Heather has visited Versailles before when she was a student but had not seen the Hameau de la Reine, so that was a very special part of our day. We saw dragonflies hovering over the surface of a pond, water lilies blooming, roses, quaint buildings, statues, winding paths. I was really sorry when we left the park and our cycle ended, although our tour was not yet over. We walked the short distance from the cycle hire shop back to the palace and after bidding farewell to Dave we went for a tour of the King’s private apartments, which we have not seen before and which were fascinating. The afternoon was very warm and I found myself flagging a bit, but I gradually cooled down in the airy palace rooms and perked up again. It was quite crowded and our French guide had rather a tetchy exchange with one of the palace staff when we ended up in the same room at the same time as another group! After the tour we were set loose into the main palace rooms which were very busy, however that didn’t prevent us from enjoying the opulent rooms including the famous Hall of Mirrors. By this time we were all a bit footsore so we had reviving drinks and coffees at Angelina’s tea room. Back to Paris we journeyed by train and had a lovely dinner at Brass not far from our hotel. Our shy but endearing young waiter inexplicably brought us a bowl of rice which didn’t seem to have any connection to any of our dishes as well as extra chips that we hadn’t ordered, but they were not added to the bill and added to the charm of the evening! It has been a fantastic day. 

A Perfect Parisian Day

After a more leisurely start to the day than yesterday, we woke up refreshed in the Artus Hotel and set off to Châtelet (formerly a small medieval castle, hence the name) where we met our guide, Sam, for our French Revolution walking tour. I have been looking forward to this very much, reading about the French Revolution in preparation, and it did not disappoint. Sam is a pleasant young student of History in his early twenties, brought up in France with English parents, so he is bilingual. 
We visited the Place de Grève where many people were executed, including Francois Ravaillac, the assassin of Henri IV in 1610. Interestingly the word Grève comes from the gravel banks of the nearby Seine where people dragged their boats ashore. Later, when striking workers used to gather in the square, its name “Grève” came to mean “strike.” Much of the tour took us through the Marais district, an area that we have not visited before, very historic and picturesque. A highlight was the Place des Vosges, an absolutely beautiful grassy square surrounded by beautiful mansions. The Royal family intended to live here, and when they moved to Versailles. It was originally called Place Royale but of course this was changed after the Revolution. There is a marble statue of Louis XIII on his horse in the middle of the square, replacing the original bronze one which was pulled down and melted during the revolution. It’s surrounded by trees, allegedly to play down the royal connection. 
There was much more that we saw on our walking tour, and I won’t go into all the details of it, however I would highly recommend it. 
We ended up at Bastille where it all originally kicked off, where Sam pointed out that the outline of the demolished Bastille can be seen, marked by large round brass studs on the road and pavements. I found this very exciting.
We had lunch at a café on Île Saint-Louis that James and I visited two years ago, which featured on Emily in Paris. The location was beautiful but we were in the shade and there was a bit of a chill breeze, surprisingly on this warm day! So after lunch we didn’t linger and moved on, strolling through the crowds of tourists in the left bank to a café in the Rue des Pretres de Saint Severin, where we basked in the sunshine over drinks and coffee. 
We were only a short walk to the recently restored Notre Dame, which has had huge renovations after the fire in 2019. I had booked the (free) tickets as soon as they came on sale 48 hours ago, which meant that we could walk straight in instead of joining the massive queue of non booked people. The cathedral looks bright and clean, there was a service going on and from time to time the priest made a loud and long shushing noise through the microphone when the visitors got a bit noisy. This did quieten the throngs of people. It was very busy but it was good to see it all restored. The roof of the cathedral is still covered in scaffolding so there is plenty of work to finish yet. 
Back to the hotel we went for a rest and to get ready for tonight’s formal dinner on the Bâteau Mouche. This was our Ruby Wedding Anniversary gift from Heather and Ewan. I wore my Ghost dress for the first time and felt very smart. I knew that it would be a lovely experience and it way surpassed my expectations. We were efficiently ushered onto the boat and given a fabulous window table with great views of all the river landmarks including the sun setting over Notre Dame, and the Eiffel Tower all lit up as it got dark. The food was great - an amuse-bouche followed by three delicious courses. A pianist and saxophonist played jazz while we ate. There was a staircase up to the roof from where we got even better views, and we popped up there throughout the evening to enjoy the atmosphere and take photos. I felt so excited and happy; it was such a thoughtful present and so appropriate because our honeymoon was in Paris forty years ago and this was a very special way to celebrate. We all had a wonderful time. 

Napoleon’s Hat

An early start for Heather, Ewan and ourselves when we took the 7.30 a.m. flight from Glasgow to Paris this morning. What a day it has been! 
On arriving at our old favourite, the Hotel Artus, we left our luggage at reception and had lunch in a nearby restaurant Café du Marché. There are plenty to choose from! I had Oeufs Mimosa which are devilled eggs; I haven’t had these for many years and they were very tasty. When I paid the bill and included a tip, the waiter rang a bell above the bar and there was a murmur of appreciation from nearby staff. I asked him why he rang the bell and he said that he rings it when someone gives a “bon pourboire” - a good tip! I have never heard of this custom until today. 
We then walked down to the Seine; the left bank was busy with tourists but as we crossed the Ile Saint-Louis the streets got a good bit quieter. We walked about half an hour to Bastille where we climbed a staircase to the Coulée verte René-Dumont, also known as the Promenade plantée. It is a 4.7 km elevated linear park built on top of an obsolete railway in the 12th arrondissement. Andrew had recommended it to Heather and Ewan and we were very glad that he did because it is delightful. It is similar in many ways to the High Line in New York (which we visited in 2016); in fact it pre-dates it by about fifteen years, having been inaugurated in 1993. Its trees (lime and hazelnut) and climbing plants and roses are more mature than those of its New York relation, some have been left wild and some are more landscaped. It is really pleasant to walk along it, ten metres above the streets of Paris. It passes above several little parks into which you can take steps down, in one of them we saw a drinking fountain that dispenses both still and sparkling water! How very Parisian! 
The Coulée Verte then descends to ground level and continues through some tunnels and paths before rising again to an elevated walkway. It gets a bit more complicated here with several walkways diverging; we descended to the Michel Bizot Metro station and thanks to James and Ewan’s expert navigation we were soon speeding back to St Germain with only one change of train, and we checked into the Artus Hotel for a much needed rest before dinner. 
Dinner was rather special. In line with the French Revolution theme of our holiday, thanks to Ewan’s expertise on the subject, I had booked Le Procope, which is in Rue de l’Ancienne Comédie, not far from our hotel. This old restaurant, founded in 1686, claims to be the oldest continuously run restaurant in the world, which is a bit controversial because it spent a few decades as a shop in between its restaurant incarnations. But who’s quibbling? It’s exciting that in the early 18th century Voltaire, Rousseau and Diderot discussed their Enlightenment ideas while dining here. And in the 1780s Marat, Danton, Robespierre and other revolutionaries ate here too. And then Napoleon came here too, and one day left one of his hats in lieu of payment for dinner. It’s still on display in a glass case on the stairwell. The place is steeped in history. Most importantly both the food and the company were absolutely excellent. Drinks in a little bar in Rue de Buci completed a marvellous day. 

Kip Moore and a visit from Ally

It has been a busy few days with many errands and much packing for Paris. On Thursday I had lunch with Fiona at Rosso in Bothwell. I am aware that this was the fourth lunch out in a row for me this week, a very unusual occurrence! It was just brilliant to see Fiona after her operation and follow up treatment and we had a lovely catch up. 
In the evening I went to see Kip Moore at the Hydro. The support act, Gareth, was very good, and Kip Moore was incredible. What a voice he has! Heather and Ewan had messaged me to say that they had been upgraded to a box, so I thought that I would chance my arm and ask for an upgrade too! Fortune favours the brave! And indeed it favoured me because very friendly staff at the Ovo Hydro Club desk checked if there were spaces and gave me an upgrade too! The box was great, an excellent front on view and waiter service, Heather and Ewan very kindly bought me a drink. 
I left the concert a wee bit early because Alasdair was about to arrive for an overnight before his hill-walking weekend with Davie. James, Ally and I had a cup of tea and a chat before bedtime. 
I made pizza and chips for Ally and Davie this evening when Ally came in from working in his Glasgow office, before they set off northwards. They have lots of plans for bagging specific Munros and tops that are on their lists. After they left James and I had a curry and watched some of the new series of Clarkson’s Farm. I was so inspired by his renovation of a pub near Burford, now called The Farmer’s Dog, that I made a dinner reservation there for July when we will be in the Cotswolds! 

Vaccinations and lunches

Yesterday James and I had our first set of vaccinations for our Tanzania holiday. We went to the Lanarkshire Vaccination Clinic at Muirhead. The nurse was very nice but oh boy it took a long time. She asked us for every detail of the area and nature of our holiday in order to make sure that she was giving us the correct vaccinations. She also gave us lots of advice about other vaccinations that we may require, which we will need to get privately. It was very helpful. Finally we each had three injections and a drink (the drink was to prevent cholera and we will need another one in a fortnight.) We went to nearby Homegrown Garden Centre in Gartcosh for lunch, we decided that we deserved it after our ordeal! 
We had lunch out today as well, with Davie at Latteria in Uddingston. This was my second lunch with Davie in two weeks because I know that he will be starting his new job very soon, so I wanted to get a few lunches with him before that! Linda Pringle recommended Latteria to me when we had coffee, and the food was very good. I had poached eggs with potato scones and hollandaise sauce and they were just perfect. We had a good chat with David and later went to B&Q where James got some compost. 

A Boat Trip to Bass Rock

At James‘s suggestion we drove through to North Berwick this morning to go on a boat trip to Bass rock. James and I both enjoy a boat trip and this is one we have never got round to, until today. The weather was really good and after picking up takeaway coffees from the Sealife Centre we got ourselves excellent seats on the boat, from which we had great views. Our first destination was the island of Craigleith, famous for its guillemots. Guillemots are often called "the penguins of the North" due to their physical resemblance to penguins, particularly their upright posture on cliffs and their black and white plumage. They do share a common ancestor with actual penguins but only distantly. They are much more closely related to the razorbill and puffin, all belonging to the auk family. We also saw lots of puffins, some standing around near their burrows, and some flying over the water. 
Then the boat took us to the volcanic plug that is Bass Rock, which was covered with thousands of gannets. We could see them “billing” when they rub and cross their long beaks affectionately. We also saw them “pointing” when one gannet sticks its beak skywards to guide its mate homewards. We also saw razorbills; their chicks are called jumplings because they are encouraged by their parents to jump into water to learn how to fend for themselves. An unexpected highlight of the trip was a sighting of several Orca whales not too far from the boat, we could see their fins and their bodies arcing out of the water. The whole boat trip was a joy. 
We had lunch in a great wee café in a craft shop on North Berwick Main Street, and then headed to our old favourite, the Museum of Flight in East Fortune. Since it was a Monday in term time it was very quiet. We went into the Concorde of course, then strolled around the aeroplanes in the other hangars. It was breezy by this time but still warm enough for me to sit outside at the picnic tables and read my book while James spent a bit more time looking at the aircraft. An excellent outing. 

Tech Support by Davie

We had lunch at Heather & Ewan’s today; a lovely vegetarian lasagne with garlic bread and salad followed by an equally tasty sponge with raspberries and blueberries. We caught up on news and chatted about our upcoming trip to Paris. We sat in their gorgeous conservatory for the first time in ages; it is usually dark when we’re at their house for dinner, so it was great to sit in there in the daylight and enjoy the greenery of their lush garden through the windows. Heather is a keen gardener and their garden with its variety of flowers and trees always reminds me of a botanic garden. 
James has been having difficulty completing his application for a Tanzanian visa; he hasn’t been able to upload one of the required photos. We asked Davie to help and he came round this evening, calling “Tech Support here!” when he arrived! I knew that he would be able to fix the problem and sure enough, five minutes later the photo was uploaded and the visa application was submitted! 

Organ Recital and Cornel’s 60th Birthday Dinner

We have had a really lovely day. We decided to go for a walk in the West End, starting with a bite to eat at the art galleries in Kelvingrove. Just as we walked in the door and organ recital started. This consisted of several classical pieces but also a fine rendition of Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody. We stood and watched it until I managed to nab a table at the ground floor café, with an excellent view of the organ and two screens which showed the organists hands and feet working all the controls. James bought us coffee and scones, and we ate them while enjoying the music. The last part of the recital was a medley of ABBA songs which went down very well with the crowd. Then we went on a lovely walk up through Kelvingrove Park, through the University Quadrangles, and back to the car via Kelvingrove Way. 
In the evening we went to Cornel’s birthday dinner at the Dakota in Glasgow. There were about twenty of us and we were delighted to be invited. The dinner was excellent and the other guests were extremely pleasant and friendly; they hailed from different locations and different parts of Cornel and Heather’s life. Their two beautiful daughters Sarah and Liesl were of course there and Sarah gave a loving speech about her Dad. The time absolutely flew past and by the time we set off home we had missed the last train so walked to Gordon Street and queued for a taxi. James pointed out that there were seagulls flying from building to building high above the street, the underneath of their wings shining white in the darkness. No doubt they were looking out for some dropped chips from the fish suppers of the crowd of people below them. Very very drunk people for the most part! 

Lenny Henry in Perth

We had such a relaxing few days in Ullapool, in very mixed weather. We had warm sunshine alternating with heavy showers about every half hour! In fact on Sunday we even had a brief episode of hailstones! This hasn’t stopped us from getting out and about; James has been on his big morning walks and we have walked around the village every day, inspecting the harbour and stopping for a couple of café lunches. We headed home on Tuesday after catching the cats without too much fuss. 
Yesterday was Christine’s 70th birthday and she is spending the week in Portugal with Gerry, Euan, Cat and Ally. They are having a great time although it is very hot - 40 degrees!
This evening I went to Perth where I met Margaret, who treated me to an absolutely delicious meal at the North Port restaurant; the food was beautifully presented with unusual taste combinations, I definitely plan to return. Then we strolled the short distance to Perth Concert Hall to see Lenny Henry being interviewed by Fred Macauley. He started off by doing some stand-up, at which he is very skilled. He was very funny, and the audience loved him, but it took him a little while to get into his stride; I think that the polite Perthshire audience was a little quieter than he is used to, and it perhaps gave him the impression that his act wasn’t going down too well. He also mentioned that he hasn’t done stand-up for a while, so maybe he felt a little nervous. I felt like standing up and shouting, Lenny they do like you, they are just an older and more reserved audience than most! The second half was much better, Fred Macauley is a good interviewer and Lenny Henry relaxed and interacted with the audience more. I was really glad that I went, it was good to see Margaret and it was a fun evening. 

Happy Ruby Wedding Anniversary!

Today is James’ and my 40th wedding anniversary! I can hardly believe that it has been 40 years. I remember waking up on the morning of our wedding and the first thing that I saw was my beautiful wedding dress, hanging up on the curtain rail in my bedroom because it was too long to fit it my wardrobe. It was a lovely day; we were only twenty-three and twenty-two years old, it was a very traditional Scottish wedding and we enjoyed the day so much more than we had anticipated! The wedding was at Trinity Church and the reception was at the Popinjay Hotel at Rosebank in the Clyde Valley. Our family and friends were all there supporting us and we were very happy. 
And here we are forty years later, spending our Ruby anniversary in Ullapool. We will also be celebrating with Heather and Ewan in Paris in June, and with all three of our boys and their partners in Tanzania at the end of July, however this weekend it’s just the two of us - and the cats! Today we walked around the village and had lunch at Tea by the Sea. The weather forecast was for rain, but although it was overcast it was really warm and we were able to sit outside. Then we watched some of the coastal rowing regatta that is taking place in the loch today. There were competitors from lots of different clubs. 
In the evening we drove to Lochinver to have dinner in Delilah’s which was very busy. The meal was absolutely delicious, and although the service was a bit disorganised we had a relaxed and fun evening. When we drove back to Ullapool at about half past nine it was still quite light and there were quite a few deer down by the road. 

The Crucible

I am in my hammock in Ullapool on a warm afternoon. We drove north with the cats this morning. Unfortunately, according to the weather forecast, it is the last warm and dry afternoon for a while, because rain is predicted from tomorrow morning. Still, we have had a very good run for the last couple of weeks. 
On Wednesday evening we popped round to visit Jennifer and Ryan in their beautiful home. We gave Jennifer her 30th birthday gift and also an engagement card and present for both of them because they got engaged during their recent holiday to Nashville. They were very happy and we are delighted for them. 
In sad news, the Appletons’ dog Luna died yesterday. She was fourteen, which is a good age for a labrador, and she had been getting more frail over the past few months, however her family will of course miss her very much. I know what it’s like to lose a much loved pet, so my heart goes out to them. 
Last night we went to see The Crucible ballet with Gordon and Morag. I wasn’t sure what to expect because the subject matter of the Salem witch trials is very downbeat. However the dancing was absolutely brilliant, and ballet was very effective in conveying the emotions of the characters. We all enjoyed it very much. 

Back to the Book of Mormon

James gave me a lift to Hairmyres Hospital this morning for my second ingrowing eyelash treatment. My blood pressure was apparently a bit high (181 / 68) so I was put on hold, but meanwhile the doctor looked looked at my eyelashes and said that they are not growing back so I didn’t need further treatment. Hooray! I phoned James, who had gone for a walk, and we came home in time for lunch. I had various errands to do but James persuaded me to relax in my hammock instead, and I didn’t need much persuading! 
We met up with Davie and Chanel for a pre-theatre dinner at Antipasti in Sauchiehall Street. It was a very nice meal and the service was excellent. Then we headed to the Kings Theatre to see Book of Mormon. I had forgotten how funny it is, and what a surprisingly moral and positive message it gives, despite how irreverent it is. The cast were really great, so energetic and talented. 

Sulphur dioxide and 3,000 Feet

Another warm and sunny day. James was repairing one of the benches in the garden in the morning. I went outside to speak to him and because he wasn’t there I called his name; Flora replied with one of her loud bleats from round the corner of the house beside the garage; I’m sure she was telling me that he was in there, which he was! This evening we went to a new film called 3,000 feet with Davie. Chanel was tutoring so unfortunately couldn’t join us. The event was at Drygate Brewery and I booked dinner for us in the bar beforehand. When we arrived I was asked if I’m allergic to sulphur dioxide; it must have been noted by mistake on our booking. I have never even heard of a sulphur dioxide allergy, but I looked it up later and it can be found in many beers, which suggests that dining at a brewery may be hazardous for sufferers! 
It was the first ever showing of the film, which is a documentary made by Kevin Woods, who was also the main presenter, and Lindsay Hill. It’s about the origins of Scottish mountaineering, particularly about Hugh Munro and how he came to compile the list of mountains exceeding 3,000 feet in height. It was extremely interesting and I learned a lot about those early hill-walkers. At the end the filmmakers Kevin and Lindsay answered questions, and received a great deal of well deserved applause. 

Barbecue in Uddingston

We headed to Troon for a walk along the beach on Saturday. The blue sky and sea were gorgeous. I took off my sandals and paddled all the way along from the golf course to the centre of the town. The water was delightfully refreshing; it was not even very cold as the tide came in over the warm sand. We had French toast at the Venice Café before retracing our steps along the beach. The main beach was very busy and it was nice to see all of the people out enjoying the sunshine. Davie and Chanel messaged to invite us to a barbecue in their garden, we were delighted and arrived just after 3 p.m. for a fantastic sunny afternoon in their beautiful garden. The barbecue was absolutely delicious; halloumi kebabs and burgers with salads, dips and snacks. Davie and Chanel were such great hosts and we had a brilliant time. 
We headed home in time to watch the Eurovision Song Contest. It didn’t take long for James to fall fast asleep in the couch and I couldn’t blame him; I thought that the songs were very average this year. I still enjoyed watching it; Ally and Cat were watching it in London and Davie and Chanel were watching it in Uddingston and we compared notes about our favourites, none of us guessed that Austria would win. 
On Sunday I decided to refresh the Dale of Norway cardigan that I got from Grandma. Wool should be washed very gently in cold water and I used hair conditioner to soften it. I then laid it flat on a towel on the grass to dry. Unfortunately Floof found it and was excited to lie on top of it; she must have liked the damp and scent of it. She was rolling around on her back on it until I chased her. This annoyed her and as soon as I went back onto my hammock she returned to lie on the cardigan, keeping a close eye on me in case I returned. Tommy and Carol came round for coffee in the afternoon. They have spent a lot of time abroad this year during their house renovations so it was great to catch up. It is no surprise that we sat outside in the beautiful weather! 

Picnic in the park

And the excellent weather continues! We have been spending most of our time outdoors; this prolonged spell of great weather is so unexpected that we want to make the most of it!  On Tuesday afternoon Janie and Julie came round for coffee. It was the first time that I have seen Janie since Robert’s funeral. We sat up at the top of the garden in the shade of the trees and the three of us had a good chat. On Thursday Suzy and I walked up to Holmhills Park and had a picnic there sitting on the bench that looks over Glasgow towards the Campsies. It was really lovely. 
And today we walked along to Burnside and had a very pleasant breakfast with Marjory and Forrest at Hugh’s. Then I jumped into my beloved hammock until Ally W came round for lunch and we ate outdoors - of course! We saw on the weather forecast that Glasgow has been the hottest place in the UK today at 24 degrees. It has certainly felt hot! 

A bit of shopping

More gorgeous weather; I went for a swim first thing and then over to Braehead to buy a blouse that I wanted from Marks and Spencers. I couldn’t buy it online because they suffered a cyber attack on 25th April, nearly three weeks ago, and all of their online shopping is “paused.” Three weeks is a long time for them not to be able to restore services so it must have been a very nasty attack; they must be losing a great deal of money every day. According to news reports the attackers have used “ransomware” which locks out the owner of a computer system and scrambles their data. Then the attackers demand a fee, usually in cryptocurrency, to restore it. After picking up my blouse (and a nice pair of trousers that I spotted) I treated myself to a wee coffee before heading home. 
2025 is proving to be a busy year among our family and friends for births and significant birthdays, so I had quite a few presents to wrap, and I tackled this in the back room, with the French windows open to the garden. 
I met up with Caroline for an early tea at Tony Mac’s in East Kilbride, it was lovely to see her and we had a good catch up and chat. When I got home at about half past six it was still warm enough to sit outside in the garden! 

Colomba di Pasqua

The weather is still lovely and warm. James went off on his usual 15 km walk and I decided to go on my own shorter walk to Fernbrae Meadows. On the way I listened to an audiobook that I’m interested in called “The Growth Mindset” although my mind kept wandering as I looked at all the trees and plants bursting into spring life in the gardens I passed. Fernbrae Meadows was lush and beautiful; there were dandelions and pretty Cuckooflowers (also called Lady’s Smock) in full flower amongst the long grass. I was rather overheated because I had forgotten to bring a bottle of water, so I was pleased when James contacted me to offer me a lift home. We went for a spontaneous lunch at Hugh’s which was nice but pricey for what it was, and then went home and I was soon in my hammock reading the Sunday papers. 

James told me that this morning when he went into the garden he found Tom fast asleep in the catmint barrel; he had crawled in under the protective mesh and made himself comfy on the fragrant herbs! 
We invited Davie and Chanel round for a barbecue in the evening - yes, two barbecues in two days! There were some kebabs left from yesterday and we also had burgers in buns as well as the usual baked potatoes and salads. We gave Davie and Chanel a surprise for dessert; a Colomba di Pasqua which is a traditional Italian sweet Easter bread, with candied fruits and almonds. They had mentioned eating this when they were in Italy at Easter to meet Chanel’s wee brother Liam, and by chance I saw one in Marks and Spencer’s just afterwards. Although we are a bit late for Easter I have been keeping it specially for a meal with Davie and Chanel! It was tasty and they said that it tasted authentic; we ate it with fruit and ice cream. 

Dining al fresco twice in one day!

We had lunch with Margaret in Edinburgh today, sitting out on the balcony on the 4th floor of Harvey Nicks. It was sunny and just warm enough to sit outside; the views over St Andrews Square and in the other direction to the Forth were very pretty. It was great to see Margaret. On the way downstairs we looked at the fashion and, although expensive, it was a lot more wearable than the extreme designer clothes that we saw in Dover Street Market last week. We jumped onto a train homewards; on the journey I had a doze after my tasty and filling lunch. 
Heather and Ewan came round for a barbecue in the evening; it was much warmer in Glasgow than it had been in Edinburgh and I had to sit in the shade for our pre dinner drinks. The barbecue took a while to heat up but once it got going James cooked chicken, lamb, and halloumi kebabs, which we served with baked potatoes, corn on the cobs, mushrooms and different kinds of salads. Dessert was simply fresh fruit and ice cream. We had more drinks in the garden before coffee and tea in the back room. It was a very pleasant evening in very pleasant company. 

Taps Aff on Cumbrae

What a brilliant day we have had! James suggested a couple of days ago that we should go for a cycle together while this great weather holds out. I wasn’t keen at first, but once I thought about it, I decided that it would be fun to go back to Millport and cycle right round Cumbrae. This ten mile (16 km) round trip has been a favourite of mine for as long as I can remember. Jennifer and I cycled round the island with our Mum and Dad when we were children, and I cycled round on a school trip when I was in 5th year with my lovely school friends, with whom I still meet up every couple of months.  I cycled round Cumbrae with James when we were teenagers and many times since, and in due course with our three boys. The last time we did this cycle was in 2019, so it was high time that we visited again. I was reminded of this when Heather and Ewan cycled round the island a few weeks ago when Ewan was doing a locum there. 

So we set off this morning and caught one of the very frequent ferries which crosses between Largs and the slipway, which is a few kilometres outside Millport itself. The crossing was brief and beautiful, with views of blue sea and sky and fishing boats and seabirds around the Clyde Estuary. And on this stunning day we had fantastic views from every angle as we cycled our usual anticlockwise route around the island. The grass and trees were a particularly vibrant green and the shore was lined with warm red sandstone, punctuated by a few sandy beaches. The birds were singing loudly in the trees and we could see the mountains of Arran looking very splendid. A slight breeze kept me cool (thank goodness) and when we got to the town of Millport we stopped at the Crocodile Rock which has been painted there ever since I can remember. There was a group of young men cycling around the island wearing tartan bunnets and we passed them as they stopped in a lay by to remove their t shirts due to the heat - they then passed us with their “taps aff” but their bunnets still on! We cycled 5 km past the slipway to the pleasant Fintry Bay café, where we had coffee and scones. There were quite a few walkers and cyclists partaking of refreshments there, but since it’s a weekday during the school term it wasn’t too busy. Among other quirky decorations the café has a painted statue of a panda outside it and a wee dog was barking at it so frantically that its owner had to take it over to show him that it wasn’t real! After our break James and I went in opposite directions; James continued anticlockwise to compete a second circuit of Cumbrae, while I cycled the 5 km back to the slipway. I cycled a total of 26 km (which is a lot for me) and James cycled 32 km. He must have cycled very fast because he arrived at the slip way only about ten minutes after me! What a great day. 

V.E. Day 80 years on

Today is David Attenborough’s 99th birthday. And as of this evening we have a new Pope; Leo XIV. The weather has continued to be warm and sunny and it has been a pleasure to hang the washing outside. The lilac is blooming in the garden, and I have been spending a bit of time in the hammock. I have also been swimming and doing useful admin and errands. 

We had some lovely news this morning that Gerry and Janis’s first grandchild arrived in the early hours, a wee boy called Rory. 

And in other good news my lovely goddaughter Jennifer is engaged to her boyfriend, now fiancé, Ryan. They are on holiday in Nashville and are very happy. 

Carolyn came round for lunch today with her two beautiful boys, Harris and Arran. We put a rug on the grass for Arran to shuffle about on, he is such a contented wee soul who absolutely adores his big brother Harris. Whenever Harris kicks a ball or blows bubbles Arran smiles in admiration; he knows that he has the coolest big brother in the world! Harris was very kind with Arran, giving him a taste of his ice lolly and pushing him on the swing. It was such a fun afternoon but oh boy I had forgotten how much hard work wee children are; Carolyn was constantly attending to one or other of them with great patience and humour, feeding them, giving them drinks, amusing them - no need to go to a gym for exercise when you have a nearly four year old and a ten month old! I did lend a hand but Carolyn was much better than me at anticipating the boys’ needs; I’m out of practice with wee ones. 

This evening we watched VE 80 on BBC1; a celebration of 80 years since the end of WW2 in Horseguards Parade, attended by the King and Camilla, and the Prince and Princess of Wales. The concert was very good, a mix of modern and traditional, and some of the testimony from people who remember those times was very moving. 

Jennifer’s 60th party

Jennifer’s 60th birthday party was today in her beautiful garden in Princes Risborough. It seems like yesterday that I first met her, in my Dad’s car on the way home from Bellshill Maternity hospital. My Aunt Hilary sat in the front and held baby Jennifer so that my Mum could sit in the back of the car give me a cuddle. Needless to say these were different days so there were no seatbelts in the car! Ally, Cat, James and I travelled by underground and then by train from Marylebone, and Chanel very kindly collected us from Princes Risborough station. Jenn and Russ are great at hosting parties and their friends are a friendly and welcoming bunch. There was lots of chat and laughter. Josh and Ben were pleased to see Ally and Cat, and also Davie and Chanel who had driven from Liverpool last night. It was really nice to see the young people all chatting and playing croquet in the garden. Alan and Jean were there, Jean with a mobility scooter and Alan in an electric wheelchair. Jean is not very well at all I’m afraid, so it was touching that she and Alan had made the effort to come to the party. Alan had a good chat with James about hill-walking, but he was understandably sad about his and Jean’s health problems; he told me that his faith helps him at this difficult time. There was a delicious buffet and a birthday cake and an amazing photo montage called The Wall of Jenn, and we all sang Happy Birthday. I think that Jennifer enjoyed her special day. Davie and Chanel set off late afternoon on their six hour journey back to Uddingston, how lovely of them to drive so far to celebrate with Jennifer. Later Ally, Cat, James and I shared a taxi to Heathrow; Ally and Cat took the underground home and James and I took the 21.50 plane back to Glasgow. The plane was very quiet and in fact set off early which was great. Soon we were reunited at home with Tom and Floof. 

Crystal Maze and Covent Garden

Today was my brilliant sister Jennifer’s 60th birthday. I can hardly believe that my wee sister is 60! I sent her a Happy Birthday message and we will see her at her party tomorrow. This morning we decided to go to the Crystal Maze, which is near Covent Garden. James and I visited the Manchester Crystal Maze in February 2022 with Davie and Chanel and we enjoyed it very much, so we were excited to visit the London version. It was good fun and we were encouraged by our very enthusiastic guide. In Manchester we were in a group just the four of us. This time we were with a London family, which made eight. Luckily they were very pleasant and we all took turns doing the challenges and cheering each other on. All of our boys watched the Crystal Maze with us in the 1990s so I think that Alasdair liked that it feels almost as if you are in the tv programme! 
Cat had booked RedFarm Restaurant just along from Leicester Square, a modern Chinese restaurant with absolutely delicious dumplings and an interesting dish of soup which was sucked with a straw from the inside of a large dumpling. Having consumed the soup you then turned over the dumpling and ate it. Then we went for a walk and a browse around Covent Garden market and had coffee and cake in the Rose Bakery in Dover Street Market, perhaps the trendiest shop I have ever been in, with designer label clothes on every level. The prices were eye-watering and most of the clothes too extreme for my taste, but some of them were very attractive especially some Comme Des Garçons blouses in pretty pastel patterns. We noticed that nearly all of the other customers were wearing distinctive looking designer clothes. The highlight for me was noticing a customer wearing a pair of shoes with the appearance of another pair of shoes on top - by this I mean each shoe had another full size front and toe area sitting on top of the one where her foot was inserted. Hard to describe but it looked very bizarre. 
Exhausted by walking and fashion, we went back to Ally and Cat’s flat and played Sonic racing on PS4. James and I have never played computer games, it’s just something we never really tried, and it was great fun! We watched part of an old episode of the Crystal Maze which confirmed that our experience today was authentic! And we finished the evening by watching a really interesting tv programme called Omnivore that Ally and Cat have been watching recently; a well known chef takes a deep look into a particular area of food each episode. This one was called Pig, about Iberian pork and it was both sensitive and fascinating. 

Highgate Cemetery and the Capital Ring

This morning we travelled to Highgate and as we walked up the street we saw the Dick Whittington Memorial complete with a stone cat on top. Allegedly this was where the discouraged young Dick was on his way out of London when he heard the sound of Bow Bells telling him to turn around and that one day he would be Lord Mayor of London. We walked up the hill and into pretty Waterlow Park, where we had coffee and pastries sitting outside in the sunshine. Absolutely lovely company and location, I felt very happy. From the park we could see over London to the City away in the distance. Onwards we strode into Highgate Cemetery, somewhere that James and I have never been until today. What a beautiful place! Although much grief will have happened there over the years it was so peaceful and serene, the graves sat amid wild garlic, bluebells and cow parsley, and the many trees provided dappled light. There are many eminent people buried here, some of them still very famous. We saw George Michael’s grave, with his birth name, Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou, inscribed on it. We saw Douglas Adams’ grave, in front of which people have filled a pot full of pens. Also the graves of George Eliot, Alexander Litvinenko, Jean Simmons, Lucien Freud, Michael Faraday, Beryl Bainbridge, Bert Jansch, and so many others. The Rossetti family grave, including Christina, and Lizzie Siddal, the wife of Dante Gabriel Rossetti. Famously DGR buried lots of his poems with her as a mark of his grief, but then decided that they were too good to waste so he went back and dug them up! DGR is buried elsewhere, in Birchington in Kent. The most visited grave is that of Karl Marx; I thought that it was a bit ugly with a giant head and shoulders of Marx on top of the memorial. There were many, many other graves of all shapes and sizes. 
We walked to Highgate Wood to a delightful wisteria draped café that Ally and Cat knew, and we had lunch in its little hedged garden and chatted. The next part of our day was to walk a section of the Capital Ring, from Highgate to Stoke Newington, which was about 11 km. 
The Capital Ring is a 78 mile (126 km) urban walk which loops around Central London, divided into sections and staying within 10 miles of Big Ben. * Opened in 2005, the Capital Ring crosses the Thames at Richmond in the West and Woolwich in the East, and takes in many of the city's open spaces, nature reserves, and sites of specific Scientific interest. Nick, whom we met last night, gave Ally the Capital Ring guide book for his 30th birthday last year, and inspired by this Ally and Cat have walked all 15 sections. We were so pleased that they decided to share one of their favourite sections with us. 
Walking back down through Highgate we soon joined a grassy disused railway track, complete with a “Spriggan” * gazing down at us from one of the arches, and an overgrown station platform. We walked in through Finsbury Park and along New River, and past the reservoirs in Woodbury Wetlands. We walked into Clissold Park past its small lakes, and took a short detour to see the Fallow deer grazing contentedly in their roomy enclosure. One more park, Abney Park, took us to Stoke Newington and its station. What a brilliant walk! Later we had pizzas back at Ally and Cat’s flat and a relaxing evening. 

* The larger “London Loop” is a 150 mile (242 km) circuit around the edges of London.) 

 * A Spriggan is a mischievous skinny sprite, originating in Cornwall. 

Bluebells in Kew Gardens

Today was another hot day in London so we decided to head to Kew Gardens. It was a perfect destination to stroll around in dappled shade and look at the spring flowers including rhododendrons, azaleas, and woods filled with bluebells. There was lots of birdsong too; robins, blackbirds, song thrushes and even parakeets! I was quite overwhelmed with the beauty of the gardens and the scents of the flowers were heavenly. We arrived at the Pagoda just as a tour was going in; we were able to join it and climbed the 253 steps to the ninth floor. We had fabulous 360 degree views for miles around, including London City away in the distance, slightly hazy in the heat. The pagoda’s sloping roofs are decorated with dragons, brightly painted in gold, blue and green. Apparently these were removed in a state of disrepair in the late 1700s and were only reinstated in 2018. I took a few photos, one of which was of the Japanese garden which had bright red rhododendrons. A gardener could be seen in the distance and when we arrived at the garden shortly afterwards she was still there and I showed her the photo. She was delighted and I offered to send it to her, which I then did. It was a very good photo if I say so myself. We had lunch sitting outside the Pavilion Restaurant and then I sat on a shady bench with an amazing view of the Pagoda while James went for another walk, and when he returned we read our books for a while. Later we went for a curry with Ally, Cat and their lovely friend Nick, to the excellent Holy Cow near their flat. A convivial evening ensued. 

This Sceptred Isle

Well, as forecast we found ourselves in London today in the hottest start to any May on record, with temperatures reaching 29.3C (84.7F.)
Apparently this beat the previous record of 27.4C in Lossiemouth, Scotland, back in 1990. Needless to say I sweltered in the heat but by judicious walking in the shade when possible, and a lovely time paddling in the Serpentine, I managed fairly well. Most of England was also hot, although I heard that it has been cooler in Scotland. 
In the morning we went to the V&A to see the Cartier exhibition. It was certainly glittering and opulent, but James and I agreed that we preferred the Fabergé exhibition that we saw at the V&A in 2022, because the exhibits seemed more skilled and intricate. Still, the Cartier jewellery was very fine and we enjoyed seeing it as well as having a refreshing cup of tea in the courtyard café, one of my favourite cafés in London. We then walked to the Serpentine Lido and found a bench in the shade, and although I was a disappointed that I could only paddle (because it turns out that swimming there doesn’t start until mid May) it was still wonderfully cooling. A few people didn’t see the signs and started swimming but they were swiftly spotted by the safety boats which were supervising the pedalos and told to get out of the water!
We walked through Hyde Park and Green Park in our way to the Bridge Theatre beside Tower Bridge. There were lots of people having picnics on the grass beside the river, it was lovely to see everyone enjoying the sunshine. 
We had a very nice dinner in The Coal Shed, just round the corner from the theatre, and then we took our seats for Richard II, starring Jonathan Bailey. It was great! Despite not knowing very much about his reign, the play was easy to follow and the cast were superb. Bailey played Richard flamboyantly as a foolish, vain man, but thus resulted in more laughs from the audience than I think he intended. Jonathan Bailey is very popular just now from his role in the Bridgerton tv series, and I think a lot of the audience had come especially to see him. Anyway it was an excellent production and I loved it. London looked beautiful on this warm night as we walked to Tower Hill DLR station, and we had a brief and pleasant chat with Ally and Cat before bed. 
My favourite quote from Richard II is by John of Gaunt, describing England as an idyll under threat from impending civil war:
“This royal throne of kings, this scepter’d isle,
This earth of majesty, this seat of Mars,
This other Eden, demi-paradise,
This fortress built by Nature for herself
Against infection and the hand of war,
This happy breed of men, this little world,
This precious stone set in the silver sea,
Which serves it in the office of a wall
Or as a moat defensive to a house,
Against the envy of less happier lands,
This blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this England” 

Warm and sunny in the garden

We had a quiet day on Monday, tidying and cleaning the cottage and processing laundry before returning to Cambuslang. The cats were a bit suspicious but our imminent departure was confirmed to Tom when James was attempting to smuggle his blue bag out to the car. As he opened the back door who was there but Tom, standing watching him. Tom looked inscrutable and sauntered off down the lane but we could see by the set of his ears that he had noticed the dreaded blue bag. 
However he had forgotten by the time we set off homewards at 7 p.m. and we popped him and Floof into their car carrier without any fuss. There were lots of roadworks again but we benefited from missing any rush hour traffic at Inverness, and got down the road in a respectable four hours and five minutes. 
The weather has got better and better yesterday and today, and is very warm and sunny. Delightful. Yesterday I was hanging up the washing outside when I noticed that Tom was rolling about on the slabs, high on catmint which he had been eating from the plants in the barrel; James put wire mesh over it so that he doesn’t destroy it all at once, but he expertly pulls the catmint out through the holes! We have spent a lot of time outside and when Alison T came round for lunch today we sat out in the garden for coffee and chatted. Flora sociably came outside to join us (she loves a girls’ meet up!) and eventually we moved back inside, with the French windows open, because we felt too hot on the bench in direct sunlight, our patio is such a sun trap! James was walking the Greenock Cut with the hill-walking club and arrived mid afternoon to join us for some cool drinks. I didn’t go back to sit outside until about five o’clock when it was getting slightly cooler. We are all packed for our trip to London tomorrow; according to the weather forecast it’s going to be 29 degrees down there! 

Lunch in the rain at Clachtoll Beach

I had a notion to go to Clachtoll today and James was up for it so off we went in the morning. It was an overcast day with intermittent showers, but the two beaches still looked beautiful, with the broch sitting above the longer one. We enjoyed looking at the rocks and pebbles on the beach; there were a variety of Lewisian Gneiss, sandstone, and quartz. When we got to the end of the beach we saw a northern wheatear sitting on a rock watching us, it was a pretty little grey bird with black wings, a pinkish buff throat and a dark eye-stripe. 
We had a picnic of hot cross buns and coffee sitting on the bench at the end of the beach in a rain shower. Luckily we were well clad and had even (thanks to James’ insistence) brought our waterproof over trousers, so we kept fairly dry until the shower ended. 
After a look around the Broch we saw a pale brown Skylark hopping about on the grass. It was very attractive with its patterned wings and a short blunt crest standing up on its head. There was another skylark nearby which flew up into the sky; we could hear its clear, trilling song from high above us; James could see it with his better eyesight but I couldn’t see it at all!
On the way home we listened to another episode of The Rest is History podcast about the French Revolution; we are now about two thirds of the way through it and it continues to be horrifyingly violent. Inspired by this we watched the 1983 French film “Danton” starring Gerard Depardieu. It covers the last few weeks of Danton’s life and oh boy it was brutal! Institutionalised slaughter. 

Cheese and Wild Garlic Scones

Today I watched the Pope’s funeral on television and made my cheese and wild garlic scones. The funeral was quite moving and there were lots of foreign politicians and royalty there. The mourners in St. Peter’s Square broke into applause as the pallbearers carried the pope's coffin outside. The pope made his final journey in a converted pope mobile (the glass topped vehicle that popes use to visit the crowds)  through the streets of Rome to the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore. In a break with tradition Pope Francis had chosen to be buried there instead of in the Vatican because it was his favourite church in Rome. 
My scones were a triumph. I chopped up the wild garlic leaves finely and the scones looked great - and tasted even better! James arrived home from his Bothy trip mid afternoon and enjoyed two scones before having a shower and a nap. He had a fantastic time with Mark and Cornel but he was very tired after all that hill-walking! Later we watched a Clint Eastwood from 1992 called The Unforgiven. It got the Oscar for best film that year but I thought it was just like all the other Clint Eastwood westerns; a retired gunfighter is reluctantly pressed into service one more time, after much bloodshed he wins his fight against the evil townspeople and mooches out of town exhausted and dispirited. 

James visits Ben Dronaig Bothy

James is on a Bothy trip with Cornel and Mark to Ben Dronaig Bothy, which is an old stalkers house. James has messaged that compared to many bothies, it is quite well furnished, with a sink, a toilet that flushes if you pour a bucket of water down it, and a wood burning stove with wood kindly supplied by the Attadale Estate.
Yesterday they had a long walk in to the Bothy and then climbed Ben Dronaig, and today they have climbed Bidein a Choire Sheasgaich (aka Cheesecake) and Lurgh Mhor. James has been very pleased to get the chance to visit these remote hills again. 
The weather here in Ullapool is delightful and I have been sitting outside the cottage reading, or walking around the village in the sunshine, both days. I picked some wild garlic leaves down in the woods yesterday for a recipe that I’m going to try; cheese and wild garlic scones. The recipe informed me that the leaves are more tender before the flowers appear. Yesterday there were hardly any wild garlic flowers showing but today they were everywhere like little white stars among the leaves, hopefully that means that I managed to gather the leaves at the optimum time. I treated myself to a veggie brunch in the Ceilidh Place today and eavesdropped on the phone conversation of a man at the next table who is currently walking the Cape Wrath Trail. Then I did some grocery shopping on for the ingredients for chilli con carne; James mentioned the other day that he would like some, and I decided also to make and freeze enough for some of our guests over the summer. Much preparation and cooking then took place, followed by much clearing up!

A long day of driving

This morning I needed to make a trip to Glasgow for a doctor‘s appointment, so I said goodbye to James, Alison and Hugh and set off southwards at about quarter past nine. It was a lovely day for a drive and the only issue was that there were quite a lot of roadworks, which meant that my journey was nearly 5 hours. However I enjoyed listening to a couple of episodes of Dr Rangan Chatterjee’s podcast about health, and an episode of Gyles Brandreth’s Rosebud podcast, he was interviewing Sir Tim Rice who was very interesting and amusing. After my appointment I went to Lenzie where Ewan and Heather had very kindly made a tasty dinner for me before my journey back to Ullapool. This time the journey went more smoothly; the roadworks were still there but there was much less traffic and it took me exactly four hours door to door. I also finished listening to Pompeii by Robert Harris on Audible, which I enjoyed. Including my drive across Glasgow, it still added up to about 10 hours driving, an awful lot for one day! However James needs the car in the morning, hence my double journey. By 11 p.m. I was sitting in the cottage having a cup of camomile tea with James. (James had lemon and ginger tea.) 

Visitors from Nairn and the definition of a woman

Alison & Hugh came to stay with us for an overnight today, arriving at lunchtime when we had a buffet lunch in the cottage. It is always great to see them. The weather was lovely so we went for a stroll around the village, and later sat outside on the benches to have a drink in the warm sunshine. I used the Merlin App (which Cat showed me at the weekend) to identify the loud birdsong emanating from the trees across the lane; goldfinches, blackbirds and willow warblers among others. We were pleased to hear all about Alison and Hugh’s new grandson Hughie, who is the fifth Hugh in a row in his family, going back to his great great grandfather. We walked back into the village to the Caley Bistro for dinner, which was very good. James lit the fire when we got back to the cottage and we relaxed and had a good chat. 

In national news, last week judges at the Supreme Court ruled that the legal definition of a woman is based on biological sex and that transgender women do not fall within that legal definition under equality law. I am not a political animal however I can see both sides of this. In fact that is always my problem; the curse of seeing both sides means that it’s often very difficult to form a firm opinion on many issues! I don’t think that biological men should take part in women’s sport (where their innate male strength is too much of an advantage) and I think that biological women should be entitled to single sex places such as women’s refuges, women’s prisons, changing rooms and toilets. However I do support trans people’s rights and don’t want them to feel uncomfortable or excluded. It’s complicated because either one group or the other are inevitably going to feel hurt and disadvantaged. 

I’m not sure how the ruling is going to be implemented in daily life, however the Equality and Human Rights Commission has said it will publish a new statutory code of practice by the summer, so that it can offer advice to public bodies and organisations about how they may need to revise their policies. Hopefully all will become clearer.