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. 

Pope Francis

Pope Francis died this morning at the age of eighty-eight. He has been struggling with respiratory infections for the past few months and spent about five weeks in hospital. However he eventually got back home to the Vatican and yesterday, Easter Sunday, he blessed the crowds from his balcony overlooking St Peter’s Square and was then driven in an open topped vehicle through the crowd of 35,000 people. I feel sad but pleased for him that he was able to participate in such an important day for Christians before dying peacefully early the next morning. 

We had another lovely sunny morning here in Ullapool and sat outside with the cats in the sunshine chatting before going for a tasty lunch at the Seafood Shack which is now open for the season. There weren’t any tables free so we took our food down to the harbour and sat at a picnic table, before having coffees and teas at the Caley café. 

Later we gave Ally and Cat a lift back to Inverness Airport. It has been such a great weekend and we were sorry to see them go. We did a wee grocery shopping at the big Tesco in the retail park before heading back to Ullapool while listening to another of the French Revolution episodes from The Rest is History podcast. The French Revolution really was terrible, so bloodthirsty and cruel. 

Easter Birthday Pizza Party

Saturday was rainy, and hill-walking would have been pretty dismal even for our keen hill-walkers, so a run in the car was planned. We all went to Gairloch to the Gale Centre where we had a tasty lunch of soup and toasties (and James and I had gratuitously large pieces of chocolate cake!) before going for a walk at Inverewe Gardens. The rain was nearly off by this time and we had a very pleasant walk, there were lots of spring blossoms on the trees and a variety of rhododendrons were blooming. Back at the cottage we relaxed before dinner at the Ceilidh Place, to which Ally and Cat insisted on treating us. Dinner was excellent and it was a very pleasant evening. 
The sunshine returned today I’m glad to say, and as well as being sunny it was very warm. I had no need of a jacket on my walk around the village, and when I sat outside the cottage reading my book in the afternoon I had to take off my fleece and just wore my t shirt because it was too hot! The cats came outside and joined me, they sat on the grass watching the birds and lay on the patio companionably. Meanwhile our intrepid hill-walkers James, Ally and Cat, went to bag a Corbett, Foinaven, which is near Kinlochbervie, and which they told me was quite a tough climb. They arrived back at the cottage tired but happy after a nine hour day, seven hours of which were spent walking with 1100 metres of ascent. 
Cat’s birthday will be on Tuesday 22nd, after she and Ally return to London, so we decided to have an early birthday celebration for her this evening. We had pizzas and chips followed by an indoors Easter egg hunt, which Cat and Ally took part in enthusiastically! Then we had birthday cake, singing and presents. It was a very fun and happy evening. 

Hill-walking and grass-cutting

After William’s funeral and a purvey at the Burnside Hotel where we paid our respects to Merle and chatted to other members of the family, we went home and quickly got changed ready for our trip to Ullapool. The car was already packed and luckily we managed to capture the cats quickly, and we set off just before 5 p.m. Time was of the essence, because Ally and Cat were going to be joining us for Easter weekend, and we were going to collect them from Inverness airport at 8.20 p.m. As usual there were some clear parts of the journey and some roadworks, but all in all we made good time and arrived at the airport in perfect time to meet Ally and Cat and drive onwards to Ullapool. It was a tight squeeze in the car with people, luggage and cats, but James had packed the car expertly and we were all quite comfortable. When we arrived at the cottage we had a cup of tea together and headed to bed. 
On Friday morning James, Ally and Cat went to climb a Munro, Am Faochagach, near the Aultguish Inn. It stayed mostly dry all day although there was a cold wind on the summit. I walked around the village and got some groceries from Tesco, then I started cutting the grass. The others returned mid afternoon and were suitably amazed by my efforts; I had done about a third of it but was delighted when Ally and then James took over and finished it! Dinner was Lochinver pies with mash, veg and gravy, followed by millionaire’s shortbread from the deli and we watched a programme that Ally and Cat recommended to us called The Studio, which was very funny. 

A very Masonic funeral

On Thursday we went to James’ Uncle William’s funeral. He was 89 and his health had been deteriorating for some time. He was the youngest and last of his generation of Andersons, and we will miss him. He was always gentle and good-natured, and we enjoyed hearing his stories about the Anderson family and his time working in the yard at Bridge Street. He was a keen and very senior Mason, in fact he had been a Mason for seventy years and it was a huge part of his life. When we arrived at the funeral we noticed that a lot of men in the car park at South Lanarkshire crematorium were putting on Masonic aprons, and some were putting on sashes too. At the funeral, after a brief eulogy by the minister, there was a Masonic eulogy which detailed William’s achievements and promotions at his Masonic Lodge. He was clearly very highly regarded. At the end of the Masonic part of the service a pure white leather apron was placed on his coffin, the speaker said that William would now go to “the Great Lodge in the sky” and finished by telling William that he could "lay down his tools.” This refers to the tools of the Masonic trade, such as the square and compass, which represent moral principles and guidance in life.
It was a fond, if lengthy, Masonic tribute, and I respect William’s great love for Freemasonry. He had told his friend that the proudest moment of his life was when he initiated his grandson into the Masons. However I have my reservations about Freemasonry. It claims not to be a religion, yet it displays many elements of religion! There are altars at the lodges, Masons engage in secret rituals, and they say prayers to a generic conception of God, which they often call the “Great Architect of the Universe.” When a friend of James’ suggested that James join the Masons in the 1980s (James didn’t join!) he referred to it as “joining the church” with a wink. The same person told us that, as a joiner, he got work via being a member, which implies that Masons will put work in the way of other Masons, hence excluding non Masons. 
There’s something about all this that makes me uneasy. I have never been keen on cliques and clubs. This is no reflection on William, who was a lovely man. 

Donating my hair

Today I got twelve inches of my hair chopped off so that I could donate it to the Little Princess Trust. This is a charity which makes wigs for children who have cancer, and Cat donated her hair to them a couple of years ago. So when my hair became quite long over the last year I decided to follow her excellent example. I’m glad to have been able to donate it to such a worthy cause. I arrived at the hairdressers with an addressed envelope for the hair, and a tape measure to check the length. The charity prefers hair that is at least 12 inches (30 cm) long because some of the length is lost when making the wig. It accepts donations of seven inches or more, but they currently have lots of donations of that length and are keen to obtain longer hair. In the event my hair was plenty long enough to provide more than the required 12 inches. 
The hairdresser, Britney, was really friendly and encouraging. She divided my hair into four ponytails using elastic hair ties, with a tie at the top and the bottom. Then came the big moment - she cut the hair above the top hair ties. I carefully put my long hair into the envelope. Britney then cut what was left of my hair into a long pixie cut, short at the back and sides with longer layers on top. I really like it, but time will tell whether I can make it look as nice as Britney did today! 
I walked straight along to the post office after my hair cut and sent my hair off to the Little Princess Trust. My shorn head felt very strange! 
We went to Hilary and Steven’s for a convivial lunch. Hilary had made fresh asparagus soup followed by a gorgeous variety of cold dishes. It is currently Passover for them and they explained some of the associated traditions, including the tasty unleavened matzo bread which we consumed enthusiastically. 
In the afternoon I went round to Davie and Chanel’s for my last cat-sitting duty before they returned from holiday this evening. I’m going to miss seeing Skye and Harris every day! 

Farewell to Dave

We had a very pleasant brunch today at All Bar One with Janis and Gerry, who are looking forward to becoming first time grandparents in four weeks. We had a fun chat about baby names, choosing what to be called as grandparents, family anecdotes and lots more. 
Unfortunately we heard some upsetting news from Cat this evening. Cat’s lovely Uncle Dave has been increasingly unwell and frail since the beginning of the year. The doctors couldn’t work out why he was so ill. Christine and Gerry, Ally and Cat have all been visiting him to give him a helping hand. His two sons came home from Australia and Dubai to look after him. He was finally diagnosed with terminal cancer a few days ago and was transferred to a hospice this afternoon. He died just a couple of hours later. I feel so sad that we will never see him again, because he was such a brilliant and kind man. We have such fond memories of spending time with him at Reid family celebrations, and in Ullapool last summer when Dave coped best out of all of us on our turbulent trip on the Waverley. 

Walking the Cut

It’s a few years since we have visited our old favourite, the Greenock Cut, for a walk. Today we went back there with Heather and Ewan; we recently found out during conversation that they had never visited it so it seemed like a nice idea to go together. We were very lucky to have such beautiful weather to see the views at their best. We followed the easy circular 11.5 km walk around the “cut” which is the aqueduct built in the 19th century which used to supply the industries of Greenock with water. As you walk round the route you can see amazing views over the Clyde Estuary towards Arran, Bute and Dunoon, and the hills beyond. We stopped half way round for a restoring cup of tea before continuing past a couple of small reservoirs and finally along the edge of Loch Thom back to the car park at the visitors centre. 
Heather had a great suggestion for lunch; there’s a new museum in Greenock called the Wyllieum, dedicated to the work of 20th century artist George Wyllie. On the first floor there is a Scott’s restaurant, affiliated with Scott’s of Troon. We booked a table and arrived at 1.30 for a really tasty meal. Our table was at the window overlooking the Clyde Estuary which looked absolutely idyllic on this sunny day. We had a lovely time chatting and deferred a visit to the museum for another day. On arriving home I was soon ensconced in my hammock to start reading a book “Make Change That Lasts” by Rangan Chatterjee, very kindly given to me today by Heather and Ewan, who listen to his podcast and attended a talk by him recently. 

Hammock and Cat-Sitting

In momentous news, I spent part of the afternoon in my hammock, for the first time this year. I love hammock season. 
I am enjoying my cat-sitting duty for Skye and Harris. In the future when Harris is allowed to roam outdoors as well as Skye, all they will need is a quick hello and a feed. However since Harris is still so young and is confined to his room when the house is empty, I am spending about five or six hours a day keeping him company and playing with him. 
Skye and Harris are such different characters! Skye takes a while to warm up to me when I visit, but then she will sit on the couch beside me and let me pat her. Harris is a bundle of energy; he dashes about constantly but also likes a cuddle. Skye is interested in her new brother however she likes to keep a distance from him as she gets used to him. They are both gorgeous cats; Skye is tri-colour white, orange and brown like a calico cat, but with some tabby cat markings, I think this is called a caliby. Harris is a classic black and white tuxedo cat with very symmetrical markings and a white stripe up the middle of his forehead. 

Sitting in the garden

It’s so warm for the time of year! Our new love seat has arrived and has been constructed by James, and we have been sitting outside in the garden a lot. Yesterday James and Forrest went to brew beer at Innes and Gunn in Ashton Lane; part of Forrest’s birthday present. I went over to Uddingston and spent time with Skye and Harris. When James arrived home he said that he and Forrest both enjoyed the experience but after lunch, beer and brewing he was very tired and had a nap! 
Today was even warmer than yesterday and after my cat-sitting duty I went out to sit in the garden. It was delightful and felt just like summer - but the weather forecast informs us that the warmth will fade away at the weekend. Our cats love it when we sit in the garden so I was soon joined by two little furry friends who strolled around the patio. Flora sat beside me on the love seat and after I gave Tom some cat mint he rolled around happily on the slabs. 

Robert’s Funeral

Wednesday was Robert’s funeral. It was at Linn Crematorium and was very, very busy with family and friends. It was a moving tribute to Robert, and his granddaughter Katie sang Songbird (from Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours) which Robert had asked her to sing at his funeral. She sang beautifully. There were quite a few of my cousins there; a pleasant bunch. 
On Thursday I went to Susan T’s for tea and scones, which we ate in the garden. The weather was sunny and is now gradually heating up. We had a really good chat about all sorts of things. Susan is a great friend, always positive and inspiring. 
This morning I started cat-sitting duties for Skye and Harris, because Davie and Chanel are on holiday. They are going to Liverpool for a few days and then off to Rome to meet Chanel’s new wee brother Liam. So exciting! 
Skye and Harris are delightful. Skye is a bit more reserved and is clearly wondering where her mummy and daddy are, but I think she does recognise me and soon comes over to say hello. Harris is still in full kitten mode, he is endlessly lively and energetic and then will suddenly fall asleep for a nap. 

Horse not Morse!

Heather and I had one of our outings to the theatre last night. First of all we had a tasty dinner at the Pipers Tryst, an old favourite of mine which I haven’t been to for ages, then we went across the road to the Theatre Royal to see Inspector Morse; House of Ghosts. Or so we thought. In fact, I had been mistaken when I booked the tickets, assuming that they were for this year. In fact they are for the 1st of April 2026! This was discovered when I presented the tickets at the door. We were so surprised but did find it very funny. And being the resourceful women that we are, we asked what was on at the theatre. It turned out to be War Horse, the stage play based on the Michael Morpurgo book. I saw the film a long time ago, and hadn’t enjoyed it all that much, so I hadn’t even thought of booking the play. However, we decided to give it a go, purchased tickets at the box office and we were soon in our seats ready for the show to begin. Just as an aside, a very personable and pleasant young man sold me a bottle of water at the ice cream booth, and I impulsively asked him if he was an actor. He said yes as a matter of fact I am. This wasn’t too much of a surprise because young actors often take various jobs in a theatre while they are starting out. Just for future reference, his name is Jacob Abraham and I think he may be destined for great things.
Anyway, back to the play. It was much much better than the film. The horses were made of fine metal and were so realistic; they didn’t try to hide that there were people under them to guide them, but the way they moved was so natural that you really didn’t notice. There were also a few 1st World War era songs, including the hymn Only Remembered for What We Have Done, which is very moving. Heather and I both thoroughly enjoyed it, and we still have Inspector Morse to look forward to next year! 

Hill-walking weekend in Ullapool

On Wed 26th March we headed back to Ullapool with the cats for nearly a week. At first the weather was mixed and then it became quite wild and rainy! In fact I was caught in a shower of actual hailstones while out walking one afternoon! Nothing daunted we lit the fire and were cosy in the cottage. On Friday the hill-walking club arrived; Hilary and Steven, Heidi, Bob, Willie and Gordon. They were staying in the Caledonian Hotel and we joined them for drinks and dinners. Saturday was unfortunately still very rainy but the walkers went out anyway and walked up past Loch Achall. Hilary and I chatted at the cottage then braved the rain to walk round to the Ceilidh Place for lunch. While we were there James, Steven and Heidi arrived back and joined us, we had a really nice chat. Everybody met at the cottage at about 5 pm where we had drinks and chatted in front of the fire, before making our way to the Caley Bistro for a very nice dinner. However, the evening was not without incident. Gordon couldn’t find his car keys or room key in his red jacket. Alarmed, he searched for them, retracing his steps. He finally arrived back at the restaurant where it was discovered that Heidi was wearing his jacket by mistake and his possessions were still safely in the pockets. Gordon was understandably a bit agitated about all this, but Heidi‘s generous gift of a glass of red wine smoothed over any troubled waters. The next day started grey however it brightened up quickly into a really sunny beautiful morning. Hilary and I went to Corrieshalloch Gorge which was absolutely magnificent after yesterday’s rain. There were waterfalls cascading from the edges of the gorge as well as the main waterfall and lots of other smaller torrents of water beside the path. We crossed the bridge and walked to the viewpoint. There was hardly anybody else there and it was all so very stunning. Back in the village we went for a walk around the shops and had a tasty lunch in the Ceilidh Place. My cheese and onion scone with poached eggs was absolutely delicious. Finally, we went to Tea by the Sea and drank coffee while sitting outside in the sunshine and looking at the view up the loch. It was hard to believe that it was so warm and sunny after such a rainy day yesterday, but that’s Scotland for you! In the evening we met the rest of the group for dinner at the Caley Bistro again; they were all very happy because they had all managed to have good and sunny hill walks. On Monday the clubbers set off home and we spent a sunny day around the cottage. James repaired the steps from outside the cottage down to the lane and they look so much better now. We drove home today after Tom came in from his morning adventures.