Carnavalet Museum

We had “formule petit déjeuner” at a café near the hotel before heading to the Louvre by metro. As we drew into each station there was spooky Halloween music played along with the station announcement which I enjoyed! We had bought our Louvre tickets in advance so were able to walk straight in, but I was disappointed that the “Écoles du Nord” section, which includes Northern Renaissance art, was closed off. I asked why and it’s due to staff shortages. However it was not advertised as closed on their website, so I’m going to send a stiff email of complaint. We looked around the French medieval and 16th and 17th century artists, however when I decided that it was time for a nice coffee at Angelina’s, we found that it is closed for refurbishment. Oh dear oh dear! It was time to cut our losses and we walked a couple of kilometres to the Marais, where we went to the Carnavalet Museum on the Rue de Sevigny. When we were on our revolutionary walking tour in June, our guide had pointed out (through a window) the statue of Louis XIV in full Roman regalia which is in the courtyard of the museum, but we couldn’t go in because it was closed that day. So this was a good opportunity to take a closer look at Louis, and to have a look round the rest of the museum which is about the history of Paris. It was really interesting, set in a couple of the many “hôtels” of the district, which were the mansions of the well-off inhabitants of the area. One of these was Madame de Sevigny, who held literary salons there in the 17th century. There were many rooms from other “hôtels” carefully reconstructed in the museum to preserve them. There were also a lot of paintings and maps of Paris as it evolved and expanded through the centuries, which James particularly enjoyed. On the top floor was a section on the French Revolution, which I have been learning about this year, so that was worth a look. And there’s more to see, but we both felt that we had seen enough for one day. 
It was very pleasant to revisit the Place des Vosges, now very autumnal compared to the hot day when we visited it in June. Later we had a lovely dinner near the hotel. 

Bob Dylan at the Palais de Congrès

How exciting it was to wake up to bright blue skies in Paris this morning! James planned for us to take advantage of the good weather by going for a big walk, and that’s just what we did. After a delicious breakfast at the very popular La Pompadour bakery of coffee and tartines with butter and jam, we headed towards Montmartre which we approached from the north; it only took about half an hour. We arrived at the Place du Tertre which is just as busy as ever at the end of October, and had drinks sitting outside Au Cadet de Gascogne. It was lovely and warm in the sunshine. We were just across from the Clairon des Chasseurs where we had a brilliant lunch with Heather and Ewan in June, but it just didn’t feel right to go there without them! We walked to the Galeries Lafayette where we had lunch and bought some tasty treats as souvenirs. Onwards to the Tuileries Gardens via Avenue de l’Opéra. The gardens were pleasantly busy, and we enjoyed seeing the autumn colours on the trees. 
In the evening we went to the main event of our trip; Bob Dylan at the Palais de Congrès. It’s a spacious and comfortable venue where the seating is tiered so we got an excellent view of the stage from Row Q. Mind you the people away at the back must have felt very far away from the action because there is no balcony so it just stretches back and back. As with the Cat Stevens concert our phones were locked in pouches so that we couldn’t take photos. I had received an email asking us to be in our seats by 7.30 p.m. because the concert would start promptly at 8. As we waited obediently in our seats, we noticed that much of the predominantly French audience were still filing in and slowly finding their seats as the minutes ticked by. With Gallic insouciance they were clearly in no hurry. At 8 p.m. on the dot the lights went off and Bob Dylan and his band started playing. There was quiet chaos and consternation in the aisles as the stragglers struggled to find their seats in the dark, which of course was now much more difficult. Bob Dylan started a bit hesitantly, turned more towards his band than the audience. He seemed to relax as the concert went on, and I enjoyed the songs, a few of which I recognised but many of which I had never heard, which isn’t surprising as I don’t know his music very well. Also it was very hard to make out the words, and the songs didn’t sound the way they were recorded. For example the second song was It Ain’t Me Babe which of course I do know, and although I thought I recognised some of the lyrics, the tune sounded so unfamiliar that it wasn’t until James confirmed it to me later that I was sure that it was supposed to be the same song! There was much playing of the harmonica. Bob didn’t speak to the audience at all, not even a Bonjour Paris, and as soon as he finished a song he pressed on with the next one. At the end when he left the stage (without a word of farewell!) the audience applauded wildly but the house lights came on after a few minutes, there was no encore. What did I think of the concert? Well it was exactly as I expected really, and although I wouldn’t rush to see him again I’m glad that I had the experience. 

Bonjour Paris

We are in Paris. We fancied seeing Bob Dylan but he was sold out in Glasgow so we looked around to see where he’s touring and decided that a wee jaunt back to Paris would be fun. We spent a fair proportion of the day travelling and arrived at the Hôtel Regent’s Garden at about 4 p.m. We are in the 17ième arrondissement for a change, not far from the Arc de Triomphe, and after checking in to our hotel, we went for a walk to check out the neighbourhood. There are plenty of cafés and restaurants, and we are a short walk from the Palais de Congrès, where Bob Dylan will be playing tomorrow evening; the main reason for us choosing this area of Paris. We had pre-dinner drinks in the friendly wee Café Armance, on whose menu is written the eponymous Armance’s motto, “Ici, on pèle, on cuit, on monte au beurre, on rôtit, on arrose, on boit, on respire, on aime, on vit quoi...” How very French. 
By this time it had started raining and it was dark, so we headed back to the hotel and had a good dinner in the restaurant next door, which was called Môm, then back to our cosy room with flowers in its window box. 

Bosch and Bruegel

Yesterday I met up with my dear school friends, the self-styled Ladies who lunch. We had our usual friendly and supportive catch up. Out of the five of us, two have grandchildren and one has two grandchildren in the way. Not twins, an expected baby from each of two different offspring! On the way home I ran into Christine from next door, who has been very ill recently but has recovered; it’s nice to see her looking so well. 
Today I had my fifth session of Northern Renaissance Art; Bosch and Bruegel. They are different yet similar. It was very interesting. I would love to go to Madrid to see lots of Bosch paintings (the Spanish Royal family collected a lot of them so they are now in the Museo del Prado) and to the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna to see lots of Bruegel paintings (collected by the Austrian branch of the Habsburg Royal family in the 16th and 17th centuries.) Maybe one day!  

Birthday sticky toffee puddings

We were woken at 2.30 a.m. by foxes screaming in the street. I mean really screaming, it was the most unearthly noise. After this disturbance we got back to sleep but when I woke up I was confused about what time it now was. Luckily the clocks went back last night which meant that we got an extra hour of sleep. 
I made gratin dauphinois while James made gammon joint with cherries, and we served this with buttered carrots for Chanel’s birthday lunch. Our lovely Chanel is 29 today and we have known her for a decade; I remember very well the day that we first met her in Dundee on 15th November 2015. Josh was here too; he’s working in Ayrshire this week so is staying with us overnight. The five of us had our lunch followed by Chanel’s favourite dessert - sticky toffee puddings which I made yesterday. They turned out very well and we didn’t have room for birthday cake, although we lit the candles and sang Happy Birthday. Then we went through to the lounge and played a board game called Seven Wonders which I purchased earlier this year, after seeing it being played very enthusiastically by a French family when we were in Madonna di Campiglio. They played it every night in the bar after skiing. Chanel deciphered the rather complicated instructions and thank goodness she did because I couldn’t make head nor tail of it at first. But by playing the game I gradually got the hang of it and we all enjoyed it. After Davie and Chanel went home (with the birthday cake!) Josh, James and I had pizzas and watched a very good film called A House of Dynamite on Netflix. It was an all too believable tale about the start of a nuclear war, and was told from three concurrent points of view. It was compelling and well acted. 

Anything for Love

Last night we went to see Steve Steinman’s Anything for Love at the Armadillo. We met up with Gordon and Morag there, which was especially impressive because Gordon has recently had his second knee replacement. Last week James and I took a picnic lunch over to him and Morag. We picked up some meats, cheeses, nice salads and bread at Marks and Spencer and when we arrived we set it all out. Gordon was moving about really well considering that it was only a few days after his operation. After lunch Morag made us all coffee and we drank it in the living room so that Gordon could elevate his leg. It was great to see them both and have a good chat. Gordon wasn’t sure whether he would be able to attend Anything for Love but he decided to come along and it was such a joyful evening. Steve Steinman originated his tribute to Meat Loaf when he went on Stars In Their Eyes in 1993, and he has been touring with it ever since. He looks nothing like Meat Loaf, being a skinny, bald 59 year old man from Oldham near Manchester, but his voice is very similar. At least I think so; James doesn’t think it’s as good as that of Meat Loaf. He was supported by a great band and they were all enthusiastic and sometimes humorous; it was an excellent tribute act. None were more enthusiastic than the male backing singer, who looked absolutely transported with happiness the whole time. I pointed this out to James and he said “He’s living his best life!”

Pub Quiz

Davie and Chanel recently invited us to come along to a pub quiz in Uddingston which they frequent regularly, and we went to it tonight. It was at the Rowan Tree Inn, which is tucked in behind the Main Street right beside the Tunnocks factory. As we arrived we saw an elderly man getting into a big car and I said jokingly “That’ll be Mr Tunnock!” Then we noticed that the registration plate was “AT 12” and realised that it probably was indeed Mr Tunnock, one of the succession of Mr Tunnocks that is; it’s a family business which has been going since 1890. We met Davie in the pub, unfortunately Chanel was not able to be there because she isn’t feeling well. The food menu in the Rowan Tree is so short that it is literally printed on a beer mat! But the pies and chips that we ordered were very tasty and the staff were friendly and efficient. The quiz was great fun, David knew the quizmaster and several of the other customers too. This is typical of Davie, who makes friends wherever he goes. My finest hour? Identifying Rembrandt from his self-portrait. Davie’s finest hour? The music round; he has a really good knowledge of albums of the past and present. And James’ finest hour? The tie break! We tied for first place with another team and the deciding question was “What is the height of Ben Nevis in feet?” James knew the answer in metres but had quickly to convert it into feet. He was correct (well, much closer than the other team) and we swept to victory.  

La Vie Bohème

Today I met up with Philippa at the Burrell Collection for lunch. It was great to see her and she had lots of exciting news to tell me. It was a beautiful autumn day and the highland cows in the fields were being admired by many visitors to Pollok Park. 
We watched Rent (the musical) this evening because we went to see La Bohème at the Theatre Royal on Tuesday, because I know that Rent is based on La Bohème. I saw it years ago and enjoyed it, but I don’t think that James has ever seen it. Rent is set in New York in the 1980s and instead of the tuberculosis of the 1830s, some of the characters have AIDS. The characters in both productions are similar in their drinking, drug-taking and living on the fringes of society as impoverished artists and writers. James did not enjoy watching Rent, he didn’t think that the music was any good, although he did admit that the indolent characters were no worse than those in La Bohème! Coincidentally Jamie went to see Rent at Sydney Royal Opera House on Thursday. He has been in Australia for a neonatal conference this week. 

Davie’s 30th Birthday Celebration

This evening we celebrated Davie’s 30th birthday with a dinner at Angels in Uddingston. Eagle eyed readers will realise that Davie’s birthday is in fact the 17th October rather than the 16th, however Chanel is taking Davie away for the weekend to a mystery destination, so we celebrated a day early. We picked up Davie and Chanel on our way and we were gratified at how excellent was the dinner. Great service and great food and great company. After the meal the birthday cake was produced; I had ordered a photo cake which turned out very well and I think that Davie was very pleased. We were lucky to be able to spend Jamie’s 30th birthday with him in New Zealand, and although Ally’s 30th was in the run up to the financial year end when he was very busy, we enjoyed celebrating with him a few weeks later. It was lovely to mark Davie’s special birthday with him and Chanel; I can’t believe that my youngest is now 30! 

Visiting the PPWH

This morning Ruth took me to the Prince and Princess of Wales Hospice for brunch. It has been in its new site in Bellahouston Park for seven years now, and this is the first time that I have visited it. It is beautifully designed; light and airy with a large bright café, therapy rooms, treatment rooms and rooms for patients and their families, all overlooking landscaped gardens and the park beyond. The autumn leaves on the trees outside were shades of yellow, orange and gold, and there was a team of yellow-jacketed volunteers working in the garden. Ruth took me to see the art room after our coffee. The whole place was peaceful but somehow full of life, not what I had expected of a hospice. This is where Jackie died in March 23, so I was thinking of her. 
Ruth very kindly dropped me off at Ibrox Underground Station and I was in plenty of time for my Northern Renaissance Art Class. Today was all about the Arnolfini Portrait by Jan Van Eyck, and I was again overwhelmed by all of the symbolism. I wonder how much of it was seen as symbolism by the people of the 15th century or whether it was kind of subliminal to them. For example, if people of my generation see a photo of someone with a designer handbag we might assume “wealth” without actually realising that we were thinking it. 

Gutter clearing

My dreadful cold continued over the weekend, but James lit the fire and the cottage was nice and cosy. When I felt a bit better we walked down to the village and had coffee and cake sitting outside Tea by the Sea; it’s still mild enough to sit outdoors. All too soon it was time to to pack up to head home, or so we thought. Yet again the cats somehow detected that we were getting ready to leave, and they both disappeared into the garden. When I was holding the ladder for James to clear the autumn leaves out of the gutters, Tom appeared on the wall to watch us. I approached him casually but he sloped off with insulting slowness, safe in the knowledge that I would not be fast enough to catch him. Flora was seen lurking in the garden and then trotting off down the lane. However hunger was the cats’ downfall because they came sneaking in through the back door to see if there was any food in their bowls and I quickly trapped them in the porch. The journey went smoothly and we got home in time for tea.   

First cold of the season

We are having a pleasantly quiet few days in Ullapool where there is a mixture of warm sunshine and light showers. Unfortunately I have been afflicted with a horrid wee cold. My throat is on fire and I am sneezing and coughing as discreetly as I can. However my dear husband tells me that I sound disgusting. I spent the afternoon reading about Northern Renaissance Art as much as my poor thumping head would allow. In other news there seems to be a peace deal between Palestine and Israel; it’s very early stages so let’s hope that it lasts. And James and I, strongly influenced by Jenn and Russ, have started watching Celebrity Traitors. I’m loving it so far, and am surprised and gratified by the high calibre of the celebrities. Often in these celebrity versions of reality tv shows the so-called famous people are, to quote Billy Connolly, “Celebrities you’ve never heard of!” In this case though, I would say that at least fifteen of the nineteen are genuinely well known, for example top intellectual luvvie Sir Stephen Fry. Alan Carr is hilarious and it’s all very good-natured. James is markedly less enthusiastic but he is sportingly watching it with me which I appreciate. I’m now tucked up in bed waiting for my Night Nurse capsules to kick in. 

Tablet

I enjoyed my Northern Renaissance Art class yesterday; this week was about the symbolism and realism in the Netherlandish art. It actually raised more questions in my mind than answers. Is the mousetrap in Joseph’s workshop in the Mérode Altarpiece by Robert Campin really a symbol of the devil trapping Jesus? Or is it (as I instinctively feel) just a mousetrap? I walked to Partick Station on my way home because the earlier drizzle had stopped and it was a fine afternoon. 

James made tablet for the first time ever yesterday. Gran Jan asked me to deliver some of her tablet to Rachel last week for a charity sale, and I think this gave James the idea to try making some. Also we have discussed offering to make tablet as wedding favours for Jamie’s wedding in 2027. James worked and stirred away using his sugar thermometer and the results were fantastic. It tasted just as good as my Dad’s tablet and that is high praise indeed. 

Today Ally and Colin came for lunch and we made them a lamb and quince tagine. The quinces were picked from our own tree. It turned out very well if I say so myself, and we served it with couscous, a dollop of thick yoghurt and flatbreads. We made double quantities so there was plenty to freeze and I made a butternut squash version for myself. We had a lovely catch up with Ally and Colin, and after lunch we had coffee and baklavas sitting in the back room which was nice and warm. Colin also partook enthusiastically of James’ tablet; it really is excellent. 

Deceiving the Eye in the National Gallery

We went back to the National Gallery this morning for a members’ event called “Deceiving the Eye.” We walked from Bank Station to Trafalgar Square; it was the most beautiful sunny day. We took a small detour to walk through the narrowest lane in London, Brydges Place, which was only one paving slab wide at its narrowest point. First we had cool drinks in the members’ room then met our group in the Sainsbury’s Wing foyer. The art historian was very knowledgeable and presented a case that the Dutch artists of the 17th century used the recently developed optics technology to help make their paintings more accurate. He used Samuel van Hoogstraten, who experimented with various optical effects, as an example. We also looked at works by Carel Fabritius and Johannes Vermeer. All good fun. At James’ suggestion we then strolled through the sunny streets to my favourite outdoors café, Caffe Tropea, in Russell Square. It was absolutely delightful to sit outside in the warm afternoon, drinking coffee and eating mini cannoli. All too soon it was time to head to the airport for our flight home, but what a fantastic five days in London we have had. 

We have also had excellent news from Ally and Jamie, both of whom have new jobs. Ally has just been promoted to Senior Associate in his law firm and Jamie has just been offered a consultant paediatrician post at a hospital in Auckland. Following on from Davie’s excellent new job news earlier in the summer this is great news for all three of my sons. I am so proud of them all. 

Woolwich to Eltham

Ally and Cat took us on another walk on the Capital Ring today, the first section from Woolwich to Eltham, and it was absolutely brilliant. The weather was beautiful with a wee breeze which kept me from overheating. First we took the DLR all the way to Woolwich. We had brunch in a gorgeous wee French bakery and then set off along the Thames where we could see the ferries that cross the water. The route then climbed gently away from the river through Woolwich Common, passing the impressive Georgian Royal Artillery Barracks. The path led through Charlton Park and into Oxleas Wood,  one of London’s ancient woodlands, which has oak, beech, and hornbeam trees. It was beautifully autumnal and there were so many acorns falling from the trees, James told us that it is a mast year for oak trees. This occurs every 5 to 10 years and means a bumper crop which is too large for all of the predators like squirrels to eat, thus ensuring that some will grow. We all gathered some acorns to plant in the spring. Emerging from the trees, we arrived at Severndroog Castle a striking 18th-century folly perched on Shooters Hill. It has a wee café and we sat at the tables outside to drink our coffees. Then we climbed to the top of the tower and were rewarded with views southwards to London City and Canary Wharf. In the foreground parakeets squawked in the trees below us. Windsor was just visible distantly to the west, using the binoculars provided by the friendly guide. This small hill is the highest point of the Capital Ring. The route then continued gently downhill through Eltham Park to Eltham Palace, a magnificent Art Deco mansion surrounded by elegant gardens. It is currently closed because scenes for a film are being shot there over the next few days, but the kindly security guard allowed us to walk across the bridge to have a closer look at the palace and grounds, which are very pretty. We walked onwards past fields of horses, it felt very rural considering its proximity to central London. Finally we walked down into Eltham itself and caught a train to Lewisham and thence to Canary Wharf on the DLR. We had drinks in the Munich Cricket Club, a pub with a great atmosphere of which we have lovely memories with Ally, Cat and Andrew. Then we had dinner in Mala and an excellent chat, before saying very fond farewells to Ally and Cat and heading back to the hotel. My feet were very tired after 20 km of walking but I felt good. 

Ally saves a pigeon

We walked along to Ally and Cat’s flat in the morning for a delicious breakfast of coffee and pastries. It was very sunny but also quite windy - perhaps the edge of the Storm Amy that was bringing down trees in Scotland last night. We decided to go for a boat trip at Canary Wharf, something that Ally and Cat have done before but they were happy to do again. So we booked a self drive boat, which was very comfy with a wee table in the centre where we could put the drinks and snacks that we brought. It was good fun navigating around the waterways and looking up at the buildings towering above us. There were a few swans swimming about, some cormorants, and one very unlucky pigeon who had somehow flown into the water and couldn’t get out. The poor wee thing was desperately swimming, using its wings to try to lift itself up. Our hero Ally directed James (who was driving the boat at the time) to turn and pursue it. Of course the pigeon became even more agitated trying to get away from us. The safety boat appeared and we managed to trap the pigeon in the space between the two boats, whereupon Ally lifted it out of the water using an oar, and deposited it into the safety boat. The man in the safety boat took it to the shore and put it into a quiet corner on the wharf to rest. When we finished our boat trip we went to see it and put some pieces of cookie beside it; it didn’t look in great shape but it was sitting up and watching us, so I hope it survived. I am very proud of Ally for giving that wee pigeon a chance. 
We made our way to Swiss Cottage where we had a pre-theatre meal in a delightful Lebanese Restaurant called Arabesque. Then we went just round the corner to Hampstead Theatre to see Titus Andronicus. This was of course part of my quest to see all of Shakespeare’s plays performed live; this was my 22nd out of a total of 38 plays. Ally and Cat had good-naturedly agreed to join us. I was a bit concerned about it; Titus Andronicus is one of Shakespeare’s least loved plays because of its huge amount of graphic violence, and I didn’t want Ally and Cat to feel that they had wasted their Saturday evening on a load of rubbish, even though I knew that they wouldn’t complain. I needn’t have worried; the play was much better than any of us expected. It was indeed very bloody but the plot was robust, the actors were excellent, and the director had cleverly played up the gory bits so that they seemed so over the top as to be almost surreal. We all enjoyed it and had a good chat about it on the way back to Canary Wharf on the Jubilee Line. 

Troilus and Cressida

We awoke refreshed and ready for another fun day in London. Our first stop was the new members’ room at the National Gallery, which is called “The House.” It has its own private doorway on Trafalgar Square and it is very lovely and smart, with a dining room, café bar, lounge / event space, and an interior door which takes you right into the National Gallery. I love everything about it. We had brunch in the café before heading into the Gallery to revisit our favourite Northern Renaissance paintings. After a pleasant wander around, we walked down to and across the river to the south bank, and strolled along to the Globe Theatre. We had plenty of time for a coffee before seeing Shakespeare’s Troilus and Cressida. James bought us a programme so that we could check up on the plot, which seemed complicated at first, but made sense once it got started. It was the story of the love affair of Troilus and Cressida during the part of the Trojan War leading up to Hector’s death. It was well acted and I enjoyed it. The best known actor in the play was Samantha Spiro, whom we saw in Troilus and Cressida in Stratford last year, she is very talented. We had seats which meant that we were protected from the rain that came on lightly but steadily just at the start of the performance. Unfortunately this meant that the people in the standing area got rather wet but they were well clad in waterproof jackets. We decided to walk back to Limehouse; continuing along the south bank of the Thames through Rotherhithe and then under the river on the Windrush line to Wapping. We have walked this route before but in the other direction. The rain stopped within about ten minutes so we felt very pleased that we didn’t have to put up the hoods of our jackets. We had a tasty curry at the Holy Cow in Limehouse before the last short stroll back to the hotel.  

My Neighbour Totoro

James and I were up early to catch the 8.50 p.m. plane to London City. All went smoothly although not for the man behind me in the queue for boarding who was told that he was in the wrong queue because his ticket was for Heathrow! We left our luggage at the Premier Inn, Westferry, and set off along the Thames walkway towards Tower Bridge. The weather was fine and soon we had to take our jackets off because it was so warm. We jumped onto the underground from Tower Hill to Temple and had a really good wee lunch at Delauney’s. We were only a short walk from the Gillian Lynne Theatre where we saw the matinée of My Neighbour Totoro. This musical theatre production, based on a popular Japanese Animé, was recommended to us by both Ally and Gordon, so we were intrigued. And we were so glad we went because it was unusual, joyful, and downright surreal! A good example is the twelve legged orange cat-bus! The puppetry was so skilful, the music was alluring, and the actors were very energetic. When Totoro himself appeared for the first time there were gasps from the audience at his sheer immensity and presence. There were quite a lot of Japanese families there; apparently Totoro is a very popular figure in Japan. There were also quite a few school groups, who were lively but well-behaved. The man to James’ left was told off for getting his phone camera out, and from then on the usher watched him like a hawk. I took a surreptitious photo myself at the end when the usher wasn’t looking, just out of a feeling of rebellion. 
After the show we walked some more (12 km in total during the day) and later had a decent if not outstanding meal in Gordon Ramsay’s Limehouse restaurant, which we have passed many times as we have walked to and from Ally and Cat’s flat over the last few years. It has been a long but satisfying day. 

A coffee on Mum and Dad’s bench

James and I were very wily this morning before Tom’s vet appointment. I assembled the cat carrier last night and hid it in the front room. James did not feed Tom when he got up, and we both acted very casually. As a result, when we went downstairs, Tom was frisking about our ankles, wanting his breakfast. Before he could suspect a thing I picked him up and popped him in the cat carrier. Flora was in the vicinity, but disappeared when she saw what was happening, probably under our bed. Ten minutes later we were at the vets with Tom with no fuss at all. The enthusiastic young vet had a good look at Tom’s itchy bits, and decided that they were probably allergies. He has a short course of steroids and some cream. The idea is if the patches stop itching, they will heal up and the cycle of scratching will be broken.
I then went up to East Kilbride Shopping Centre to boots for a Scottish NHS health check, where they found out that I had low blood pressure. It’s 82/59 which apparently is quite low. So I’m to talk to the doctor; apart from that, I am a good weight for my height so that’s good news. As I walked through East Kilbride Shopping Centre I felt a bit sad at how it has deteriorated from the fairly smart place it used to be when the boys were younger, and even from when I took pupils there in later years. A lot of the shops have closed which makes it look a bit bleak. However, the girls in the health check clinic told me that part of it is going to close and the rest will be consolidated, which hopefully will give it a new lease of life. Walking through there was similar for me to Proust dipping his Madeleine in his cup of tea; it brought back a lot of memories and I could picture it in its past incarnations very clearly. 
Elspeth came round in the afternoon and we visited my Mum and Dad’s memorial bench in Douglas Park together. We brought a flask of coffee and some cakes. It was really special and we had a good talk about our parents, who were great friends, and about family and life in general.