Ruddy Turnstones

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

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

Sore Bones

I had a small mishap on Monday when we were at Clachtoll Broch. There is a low stone lintel across the doorway of  the broch, where a wooden door probably once stood. Foolishly I banged my head on it, but that wasn’t the problem. I immediately recoiled backwards and sideways and hit one side of my back on one of the big stones in the passageway. Despite me wearing a t shirt and fleece, it was a sore blow, and to my dismay it continued to be sore, in fact it became even more painful over the next several days. I wonder if I have cracked a rib, or whether it’s just bruised. It’s slowly improving now but it concerns me that my bones seem to be increasingly fragile. I know that I have osteopenia which probably explains it. 
This evening we watched Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part 1. It was full of action scenes. I couldn’t help noticing that when the main character, played by Tom Cruise, parachuted into a train right through a glass window, not only did he show no distress but he immediately started fighting the baddies. In fact shortly afterwards he climbed up onto the train roof to fight some more, ducking down nimbly when the train went through tunnels. Then the front part of the train fell off a bridge and Tom had to climb upwards through several train carriages that were hanging vertically over a vertiginous drop, supporting the weight of his female colleague with one arm as he pulled her to safety. Needless to say I couldn’t have done any of that. In the unlikely event that I ever parachute through a train window I would be covered in cuts and would probably break several bones. The baddies would have to help me up from the floor, dry my tears and make me a cup of tea! 

Lack of Empathy

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

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

Clachtoll Beach and some more music

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

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

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

Northern Star Country Music

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

Outdoors with the cats

I had some house stuff to do yesterday but I still had plenty of time to sit outside the cottage in the sunshine with the cats. I had a complicated form to fill in on my laptop so I sat on the bench and took my time over it, while also watching boats on the loch and listening to bird song. There is a woodpecker very nearby, but its tapping is a bit hesitant and James thinks that it may be a juvenile. I collected James from Inverness Station at 5 p.m. and we had a good chat in the car on the way home. We picked up delicious pizzas from Oak and Grain and ate them back at the cottage while watching The Great British Sewing Bee.  

Today was yet another warm sunny day and James and I sat outside the cottage in the morning making plans. The cats love it when we are outside so they both spent time with us; Tom was rolling around on the patio and Flora climbed onto the garden gate to watch the lane, although she strategically retreated under a bush when some dog walkers passed by. James did some gardening and I did some drawing. It has been a very pleasant and quiet few days, however we are looking forward to seeing our visitors, Heather and Ewan, tomorrow. 

Coffee at Corrieshalloch Gorge

I dropped James at Garve Station at lunchtime yesterday so that he could travel to Cambuslang to check on the house and garden and also go to the dentist. He will be back on Wednesday. I stopped at Corrieshalloch Gorge on the way back to the cottage; I had a walk and a coffee which was very pleasant in the sunshine. It’s not often that we stop at Corrieshalloch Gorge because we’re usually on our way somewhere else when we pass it, and this may be the first time that I have sat down for coffee rather than grabbed one to go. It’s a nice wee sitooterie but it still annoys me that there isn’t an indoors café for colder days. It’s a big enough building, but the inside space seems to be only used for NTS offices. Still, the toilets are lovely. Not long after I arrived back in Ullapool it started raining properly for the first time in weeks. The cats were outside at the time; I had inadvertently closed the porch door, and when I opened it they came running back inside! They weren’t even wet because they had probably hidden in a bush but Flora was shouting disapprovingly and they both decided that they needed fresh bowls of food to get over the trauma! In the evening I noticed that the film of The Thursday Murder Club has appeared on Netflix. Murder mysteries are not James’ cup of tea so I decided that it would be a good choice for me. I read the very popular book (by Richard Osman) a while ago and it was a decent read, not groundbreaking or outstanding though. The film was similar; a cosy British murder mystery which could have been improved with a better script. Pierce Brosnan in particular was miscast as a retired trade unionist; he had no edge to him. Despite all this I thoroughly enjoyed it. When I went to bed, the rain was pattering on the velux windows. 
By this morning it was sunny again and the cats and I spent most of the day outdoors. In the evening I decided to watch the film Good Will Hunting, which I have never watched even though it was made in 1997! It was very good, and Matt Damon and Robin Williams were excellent.