A Splendid Day in London

I had a good nights sleep in my little hotel room and decided to visit the Wallace Collection in the morning because it currently has a Caravaggio painting on display; Victorious Cupid, on loan from the Gemäldegalerie in Berlin. He’s a happy and cheeky looking Cupid, very realistic standing surrounded by discarded symbols of human achievement. Excellent. 
In the café of the Wallace Collection, the waiter who brought me my cheese and chive scone said, “Try to resist as long as you can; your coffee is just coming!” It was indeed a delicious scone! Later I was sitting in a Chilean cafe near Hyde Park when I noticed that the music playing was “I’m on my Way” by the Proclaimers. How appropriate - the same song that Rodrigo was singing with me only a couple of days ago during our bio walk! 
The book which I will always associate with my trip to Chile is not Bruce Chatwin’s “In Patagonia” or Isabel Allende’s “House of the Spirits” or even Che Guevara’s “Motorcycle Diaries” although I read all of these in preparation for our journey. It is in fact “Lonesome Dove” by Larry McMurtry, recommended to me by Heather and set, not in Chile, but in New Mexico in the cowboy days of the late 19th century. It’s extremely good; such a great story and characters, and it took me most of the holiday to read because we didn’t have time for much reading! As Gus painted on his sign, Uva uvam vivendo varia fit; “A grape ripens by living with another grape.” Similarly the characters in the book develop during their journey together. It’s right up there with my favourite books of all time. 
I met Cat for a tasty pre-theatre meal in Sticky Mango, which serves South-East Asian cuisine and we had a good chat before walking g the short distance to the Young Vic to meet Gordon, Morag, Sheena and Peter, aka the London Theatre Club!  Gordon had chosen “Broken Glass” which was excellent; set in New York just before the Second World War, one of the characters becomes paralysed, perhaps symbolising the powerlessness of the Jewish community on hearing the news of the atrocities in Europe. There were parallels with current events too, and it was very thought-provoking. We spoke briefly to actor Eli Gelb at the end of the performance, and then Cat and I saw Alex Waldmann (who played the doctor) running for a train at Waterloo Station; Cat called out “You were great in the play!” and he gave us a big smile. 

Santiago back to London

We had a delightful breakfast on Sunday before being picked up from La Casona at the civilised hour of 8.50 a.m. - much more relaxing than some of the very early pick ups that we have had during our holiday! We have seen and done so much and it has been brilliant. I’m particularly pleased to have done so many outdoor activities; hiking, cycling and swimming, and also trying white water rafting and horse-riding. We have seen a selection of really different parts of Chile; Santiago, Patagonia, Las Lagos, the Atacama desert, and the wine region of the Casablanca Valley. We have met lots of friendly and pleasant people, both guides and fellow travellers. We have tasted lots of Chilean food and James has tasted many Chilean wines. We have stayed in tents, a very simple hotel in Puerto Natales, a very smart and comfortable hotel in Puerto Varas, overlooking a lake, a quirky hotel in San Pedro with a ceiling fan and thick adobe walls, and a luxurious vineyard hotel set in a beautiful valley. Everyone we met said Hola! We have had great weather; only two rainy days in three weeks, and of course one memorably rainy night in a tent in Paine Grande! Sometimes it has been borderline too hot for me - when hiking in Torres del Paine and in the hot days in the Atacama desert. 
The fourteen hour overnight flight from Santiago to London was tedious but improved by the slightly more comfortable Economy Plus seats. We had a reviving coffee at Heathrow Airport before going our separate ways; James headed back to Glasgow to see the cats and I headed into London where I am going to spend a few days of culture and theatre! I’m staying in a wee Ibis hotel in Whitechapel rather than at Ally and Cat’s flat because it’s Ally’s financial year end this week and he’s extremely busy at work, so I thought that he should have a guest free house when he does get home from work! I may not see him at all this week because of this but I will be seeing Cat, which will be lovely. I walked to Canary Wharf and had dinner in Dishoom by myself; it’s the first time that I have been to one of this popular chain of Indian restaurants and it didn’t disappoint, the staff were friendly and the food was delicious. 

Lettuce

When Davie and Chanel were living in Stirling, they had a wee chalk board beside their door which they used to jot down groceries that they needed. One day when I was visiting them, I noticed that they had written “Loo rolls and Lettuce” on the board, and I said jokingly, “Are those your chosen baby names?” which they found very amusing!
Well, at the end of January this year, James and I were invited to their house for pizza before one of the Quiz nights at the Rowantree Inn. We sat down and Davie handed me a supermarket bag with a couple of gem lettuce in it. I was puzzled. Was he perhaps giving them to me as part of the healthy diet that I am always intending to embrace? I automatically said thank you and then “Why are you giving me these?” to which he replied, “You said that you wanted loo rolls or lettuce!” Very quickly the penny dropped - Chanel is pregnant! I burst into tears of happiness while James remained confused for a moment until Davie explained. I cannot express how overjoyed we both are to become grandparents, and what a lovely and special way Davie and Chanel chose to tell us! I have been absolutely bursting with the news for the last seven weeks but I have said not a word to anybody. Now Chanel is 13 weeks pregnant and she has had her dating scan; Baby Anderson is due on 25th September! Davie and Chanel have told the good news to Ally, Cat, Jamie and Kerry this week so now we can tell the rest of the family and our friends. 

Horse-riding in Chile

We woke to much birdsong at La Casona, there are geese, southern lapwings, cormorants, and turkey vultures, Californian quail, and lots more that we didn’t identify. We enjoyed watching the geese on the pond when we were eating breakfast in the restaurant. Our first activity of the day was a bio hike with Rodrigo. The valley looked beautiful; steam was rising from all the plants into the air as it warmed. He told us about the plants and animals of the area. For example he showed us Boldo leaves which are infused in boiling water to make a traditional herbal remedy for digestive issues and liver health. The Litre tree provides habitat and food for native species, but has poisonous sap that irritates the skin.  We saw big eucalyptus trees with silvery leaves, and a huge organ pipe cactus. Rodrigo is also very interested in language and history, and he told us a bit about recent Chilean history, which was very interesting to hear from a young Chilean. He is sure that Salvador Allende shot himself (rather than being shot by Pinochet’s soldiers) because Rodrigo’s grandfather’s friend was the doctor who certified Allende’s death. 
We went along to the swimming pool for a few hours and it was absolutely idyllic. Turkey vultures were swooping overhead; birds were singing in the trees, we swam and then relaxed on comfortable loungers. 
After lunch it was time to go in our final activity; horse-riding! This was James’ idea to try something new, and it turned out to be great fun. After a bit of instruction we climbed onto our horses and set of on a trek through the valley. We were accompanied by the instructor and four friendly Americans. My horse was a bay called Marlen and James rode Pintau, who was black with a white star on his forehead. We rode along through the gorgeous countryside, despite being told how to make the horses stop and start, they really did exactly as they pleased. Sometimes they paused to eat some grass, then trotted to join the other horses, which was very bumpy. Naughty Marlen even nipped another horse at one point although it didn’t seem too bothered. It was a lovely experience. 
Later we enjoyed a five course tasting menu in the restaurant, paired with wine for James. It was all delicious, however towards the end of the meal the maitre d’ got a bit confused with the courses. We were brought dessert spoons for the final course (five) and had to politely point out that we were on course four not course five. So the spoons were removed, but two minutes later the spoons were firmly returned. Then course four arrived and we had to ask for knives and forks! This did not detract from a really special culinary experience, very fitting for our last night in Chile. 

La Casona at Matetic Vineyards

We were sad to leave San Pedro early this morning, we have never been anywhere like it; this little dusty town in the middle of the desert. Calama Airport was pleasantly uncrowded and we had coffee and pastries before our flight. Back in Santiago, we were soon picked up by our driver and an hour and a half later we arrived at La Casona at Matetic Vineyards, in the Casablanca Valley. I don’t know what I expected, but I was taken aback at the beauty of the hotel, all on ground level, with its large rooms all opening onto three sides of a courtyard filled with lush flowers. The octagonal restaurant, with huge windows looking onto a pond, is a short stroll away, as is the outdoor swimming pool. The Rodrigo greeted us and was so friendly, and helped us to book activities for the afternoon and the next day. After a quick lunch we set off on a wine tour of the estate by minibus. The guide pointed out the different varieties of grapes, which are currently being harvested. In the fields there were little wind turbines which prevent winter frost from forming on the vines. The valley is called Rosario because it’s in the shape of a rosary, and it’s owned by the Matetic family who run the winery and farm in a bio way, using herbs and animals as natural fertilisers and weed control. We had a tour of the winery itself before a wine tasting back at the restaurant. I opted out of this because I had tried a mouthful of wine at the winery and it instantly gave me dreadful heartburn. Later we had a seven course dinner while being entertained by a guitar player and an accordionist playing traditional dance music and a couple of elderly but enthusiastic dancers. 

Valle de la Luna

Today’s tour guide was Vicente who originally comes from Concepion in the south of Chile. We had two pleasant young American travelling companions called Chris and Abby, a cardiologist and a biologist specialising in algae, which she monitors in Lake Superior. They live in Minnesota. 

First we had breakfast watching the sun rise over the mountains, with a lively and knowledgable commentary from Vicente. I had my first taste of Coca leaves infused in boiling water; they are a stimulant and combat altitude sickness, hunger, and fatigue. The desert mornings are delightfully cool, but it gets hot quickly. Then off we set to the famous Valle de la Luna (Moon Valley), a stunning landscape. It really is otherworldly and almost completely barren, no wonder it was named after the surface of the moon. It’s a mixture of stone and sand formations, including huge sand dunes. We could see expanses of salt lying on the surface in the distance. We walked up the sandy trail to a high lookout point, it became increasingly hot and the earth dropped away alarmingly at the side of the path into a deep ravine. Apparently it can be very windy but not today. NASA has used the Valle de la Luna to test autonomous rover prototypes for movement, drilling, and sample collection because it’s the area on earth most like the landscape of Mars. Back at the minibus we set off to Ayllu, a tiny traditional community, where we walked round the vegetable gardens and adobe houses. James was encouraged to pick a pomegranate off the tree (you do it by twisting, not pulling) and we all enjoyed eating the seeds. We saw a huge variety of fruit like quinces and pears, and vegetables including asparagus, which they grow very thin and tall here. We had lunch on a shady terrace; Sopapaillas with the freshest salsa I have ever tasted. We tasted arrope de chañar, a thick, dark sticky or syrup made from the fruit of the chañar tree (Geoffroea decorticans) and then a dessert which was a mousse made with arrope, which we sprinkled with crunchy dried quinoa seeds. Back in San Pedro we visited the pharmacy because James got water in one of his ears when we were white water rafting in Puerto Vargas, and it’s feeling sore. This has happened before on holiday so hopefully we can nip it in the bud before it gets worse. It’s so dusty in the Atacama desert, when I had my shower later my hair and skin felt gritty.

Toconao and Laguna Chaxa

After a delicious breakfast in the hotel, we walked the very short distance into the centre of San Pedro. It has low buildings, many made with adobe, little tourist shops and restaurants. We stopped for cool drinks in a wee café. 
Rodrigo was our guide for our afternoon tour. One of his favourite sayings is “Buenos Dias! Dias Buenos!”
The drive was dominated by Licancabur, the perfect 6000 metre cone shaped volcano on the border of Chile & Bolivia and there are several other volcanoes visible nearby. 
We drove along past the salt flats, which have lots of minerals and chemicals such as lithium. We arrived at Toconao, a traditional, 12,000-year-old oasis village, fed by the small Toconao River which flows down from the Andes. It is known as the "place of stones," because the houses are built from volcanic liparite stone. The San Lucas bell tower in the village square has a door made out of cactus wood! Our guide introduced us to one of the local farmers who gave us a tour round the carefully irrigated orchards and small gardens which were filled with lush fruit; pomegranates, quinces, avocados, grapes, figs, apricots and much more. We were given a big bunch of grapes straight off the vine and they tasted so sweet. We bought delicious Aryamp ice cream from a tiny shop. 
We continued on the road across the salt flats and Rodrigo said that the road is actually made of salt which has been compressed and hardened. The Atacama Salt Flat is located in a depression formed by the rising of the Andes and Domeyko mountain ranges. The central block sank and was then covered by a layer of volcanic material, and over the years, salts and minerals were washed down from the hills by water flowing from the Andes. You can see these salts crystallized on the surface of the desert.
We arrived at Laguna Chaxa where flamingos were standing in the shallow lake eating microscopic algae, brine shrimp, and small crustaceans filtered from the salty water. It is amazing that such a seemingly inhospitable area can support life. We also saw two wee lizards circling each other and fighting. Rodrigo drove back to the outskirts of San Pedro where he laid out drinks and snacks as we watched the mountains light up and change colour as the sun set. Later we strolled into the village for a late dinner. 

Star-gazing in the Atacama Desert

Arturo got us to the airport in good time this morning for the 09.58 plane to Santiago. The airport wasn’t too busy and it was all rather pleasant. Our next flight was the 11.53 from Santiago to Calama, again no waiting and hardly any queues. By twenty past three we were being driven to San Pedro by José, a quiet chap whose playlist consisted entirely  of pan pipes music. The landscape couldn’t have been more different from the fertile green fields of Los Lagos; the long straight road cut through desert with only scrubby little plants dotting it sparsely. The snow-capped Andes could be seen in the distance to the east as we headed south-east. There were little shrines every now and then at the roadside. We saw a few guanaco standing on a small rise. Eventually we started descending into a big wide valley, still very arid, and there was the small oasis town of San Pedro. Our hotel, the Noi Atacama, is very pretty. It has adobe walls and ceiling fans to keep the rooms cool. We went for a swim on the small but delightfully refreshing swimming pool. After dinner we were picked up by minibus to go on a star-gazing trip out in the desert. It was brilliant; the guide used a laser pointer to pick out the different stars as we sat round a camp fire. Of course the sky was absolutely clear and it was a new moon which was great. We saw the Southern Cross, its kite shape easily seen by the naked eye, and on its side because it’s autumn in the southern hemisphere. 
Then we used two large telescopes to take a closer look at the skies. 
We saw “the fleas” on the Dog Star (Sirius) which is a faint star cluster (aka the little beehive cluster) which consists of thousands of stars when you look through the telescope. 
Jupiter was the only planet visible, and through the telescope we could see three of its moons. 
We looked at Beetlejuice which is a rusty red colour, and the Orion Nebula which appears as a fuzzy "star" to the naked eye, but through the telescope you can see that it’s a gas and dust cloud where stars are being formed.
Looking south we saw that Alpha Crucis, which looks like one star to the naked eye, is actually two stars. We saw the “firefly” cluster in the constellation Carina, again many thousands of stars when you look through the telescope. It was an amazing evening. 

Cycling and white water rafting in Los Lagos

On Sunday we were pleased to wake up to a sunny morning in Puerto Varas, because we were going on a cycling trip. Our guide Jorgio (Jorge) and driver Santiago picked us up nice and early and drove us via the main road to the little town of Frutillar (means strawberry) which we visited on Saturday. Apparently the road that goes behind the lake is Pan-American road from Alaska all the way to Chile (although it’s not quite continuous because it’s divided by waterways in Panama, Honduras and Nicaragua.)
It was lovely to see Frutillar in the sunshine and the cycle was great fun; we had electric bikes which were handy for the few steep climbs. I used the “turbo” setting liberally on these while purist James hardly used any electricity at all. We cycled 26 km from Frutillar to the village of Llanquihue. Jorge pointed out various landmarks and views on the way. At one point we had a brief rain shower but we had waterproofs and the sun soon came out again. We were also chased by a dog for a short while but it wasn’t too alarming. There are a lot of seemingly stray dogs in Chile; however they are more like “village dogs” because they are well fed, mostly docile and look well cared for. Before going back to the hotel we all went to Bravo Cabrera for pub lunch where we had giant burgers (mine was a beetroot burger) and James quaffed some beer. 
Then this morning we were collected from the hotel at 8.30 a.m. to go white water rafting. Two very pleasant Americans, Steve and Julie, were in the same minibus, and another six people met us at the rafting centre so we were ten in two boats. 
We travelled by minibus further up the Petrohué River which has class III rapids and is surrounded by volcanoes. It is a stunning setting, even in a rainy day. We were provided with wetsuits, life jackets, neoprene booties, and helmets. 
The guides gave a short but thorough safety talk,
where they explained what to do in case you fall into the water. This spooked me quite a lot; I didn’t like the fact that you have to sit right up in the side of the inflatable boat and that you have to hold on only by bracing your feet under the side, because your hands are wielding the paddle. However once we got started I thoroughly enjoyed myself! James bravely took a seat right at the front of the boat so he got the brunt of the water. Our guide Filippo directed us when to paddle and when (alarmingly) to duck down onto the floor of the boat at the most bumpy bits.
The descent of the river took about an hour and a half, going through eight sets of rapids and we had spectacular views of the Calbuco volcano looming through the mist as well as lots of tree clad hills. We stopped at one point where some hardy souls (including James!) got out of the inflatables to climb on rocks and jump into the river. Back at the rafting centre we had a nice pizza lunch in their wee café before being bussed back to our hotel. 

Lake Llanquihue

The weather forecast was correct and we woke up to wind and rain. Although from the comfort of our very nice hotel room rather than a campsite I’m glad to say. This mean that our trip to the volcano was cancelled; it’s lucky that we saw it from our balcony yesterday because it was not visible at all today! Instead we were taken by car on a lakeside tour by driver Arturo and tour guide Reubèn, stopping at several villages along the way. The lake is called Llanquihue (pronounced Yankee-way) from Mapuche language meaning “sunken place” We saw plenty of Germanic estancias in this very agricultural area, wooden houses and huge wooden barns, with hydrangeas around their fences. The fields were full of cows or horses. 

Reubèn told us so many interesting things that I can’t remember them all, but here are a few. 

• Pisco is the Chilean national drink. It is also the Peruvian national drink and although they both claim its origins, it probably was invented in both places around the same time. 
• Chilean strawberries are white.
• In the 19th century in Valparaiso there were many British sailors; English nautical phrases often got Hispanicized by the locals. For example Bad weather” was used in local speech as “baduera”  
• In Chile, “la once” is the name for a late afternoon meal, similar to the Scottish “high tea” and nowadays consists of a light meal or just coffee and cake. The reason that it’s called “la once” is that the Spanish word for brandy has eleven letters: aguardiente. People used to say “tomar las once” (drink the eleven) as a discreet way to say that they were going to have a brandy! Over time the meal evolved into afternoon tea or coffee and snacks, but Chileans still say “tomar once!” And they specifically use the verb “to drink” even though it’s now food as well. 
• In Puerto Varas the German influence is still strong and people refer to cakes as küchen.

I’m sure that many more facts will come back to me! At the village of Frutillar we went to the Museo Colonial Aleman which was a farm museum with several buildings and attractive gardens. There was an old mill, a blacksmiths shop and a farmhouse, with furnishings and equipment from the 19th century, all very interesting. 

After a brief stop in the pretty little village of Puerto Octay we had lunch in the traditional Chilean / German Espantapajaros restaurant. The food was great but the restaurant was disconcertingly empty. I suppose that we are at the end of their tourist season. And thence back to the hotel to relax for the rest of the afternoon. We had dinner in the excellent Restaurante Las Buenas Brasas where James drank a pisco sour out of loyalty to Chile! 

Puerto Natales to Puerto Varas

I woke up in Puerto Natales feeling so refreshed. However I think that’s I’m allergic to the adhesive on hydrocolloid patches because my blistered toe is dreadfully sore, so I removed the patch. My toenail on the big toe of my left foot is completely black too, but my right foot is unscathed. We had an early start to get the 10.18 plane from Puerto Natales to Puerto Montt, where we were met by a driver who drove us 25 minutes to Puerto Varas also known as the City of Roses. 
It’s a little town in the Los Lagos (Lake) District of Chile on the shores of Llanquihue Lake. It was founded by German immigrants in the 19th century and a lot of the German-inspired houses have wooden shingles on their roofs and facades made from the rain-resistant alerce (Patagonian larch) tree. Our hotel is on the lakeside and has views over the lake to the Osorno and Calbuco volcanoes.
We went for a pleasant stroll along the promenade and drank freshly made juice sitting outside a wee café in the sunshine. We could see the volcanoes across the bay, wreathed in clouds. The weather forecast for the next few days is dreadful, however it was hard to believe that as I sat on our balcony this afternoon on such a hot and rather humid day. Dinner in the restaurant was absolutely delicious and we are having an early night; neither of us has quite caught up in our sleep yet! 

W Trail addendum - The Story of the Lost Dad

Two lovely people that I met today, Floyd and Zack, told me what happened to them when they walked up to the Torres viewpoint two days ago. Floyd is Zack’s Dad and was walking slower, so they agreed that Zack would head down the hill to get ingredients for dinner at Central Rifugio before the shop closed. He thought that his Dad would arrive about an hour after him. Meanwhile Floyd stopped briefly at Chileno and continued past Windy Pass. However at some point he took a wrong turning and got lost in the woods. Zack was waiting for him at Central, growing increasingly worried, and eventually reported Floyd missing. The rangers forbade Zack from heading back up the hill because it was getting dark and they didn’t want another person to go missing. They checked the cctv at Chileno and Floyd could be seen setting off from there only an hour after Zack, as expected. Meanwhile Floyd was lost and it was completely dark. Zack had carried a lot of Floyd’s kit down for him so Floyd had no food, head torch, emergency blanket or first aid kit. He had only a little water. His phone and watch batteries died. He kept walking along the trail looking for signs, and when he realised that he wouldn’t find his way back, he sheltered under a tree. It began raining, lightly at first so the leaves protected him, but then harder and harder which was very unpleasant despite wearing waterproof clothing. He nearly fell asleep at one point but was wary of getting hypothermia so he forced himself to stay awake and paced up and down for hours until eventually he saw the sky getting lighter. Once he could see a bit he started following a trail along the side of the mountain and in time he met some people heading the other way so he found out that he was going in the direction of Francès. One couple noticed that he was looking exhausted and gave him water and food. A bit further on he met a ranger who had his photo on his phone as a missing person, and walked him back to Central. A very relieved Zack was waiting for him, and they were allowed to stay an extra night; Floyd slept for the whole day. Strangely enough, Floyd wasn’t the only person missing in the mountains that night; the rangers told Zack that two other couples were also missing. So this must be a regular occurrence. I presume that they turned up eventually. The rangers told Zack that when people go missing it’s usually because of one of three reasons: 

1. They are fed up with hiking and have set off back to Puerto Natales without telling their group. 
2. They have found their way to the wrong rifugio and are getting drunk there.
3. They really are lost.

Thank goodness that Floyd was ok after his ordeal, and in fact was back hiking a day later in great spirits. 

W Trek Day 4 - Paine Grande to Grey Glacier Return

Oh boy what a night! It was raining heavily when we got to our tent and it continued for most of the night. It was so loud that it was really hard to sleep. There were some strong gusts of wind too, and the tiny tent was draughty and cold. The mattresses felt hard and my back was uncomfortable, and strangely my knees were sore too. It really was an ordeal and I was so relieved when morning came. We could see that the rain has fallen as snow on top of the mountains. We packed up and had a decent breakfast at the rifugio, then James set off up to the Grey Glacier via the Rifugio Grey. He saw Dr H and his wife and daughter up there; a family that we keep running into. Initially we found them to be quite annoying because they relentlessly quiz everyone they meet about their lives, but we have grown fond of them! James also saw his Brazilian friend Herminio, a solo walker who has taken a great liking to James. The weather was cloudy but dry. I decided to stay near the rifugio and I went for a walk to the lake shore; the sun came out and the lake looked a striking turquoise. I met some interesting people at the hut and the time flew by. James arrived back late afternoon and we got the 7 p.m. ferry from Paine Grande to Pudeto (about 25 minutes across Lake Pehoe with fantastic views of the mountains) then the bus back to Puerto Natales (about an hour and a half) then a taxi from the bus station to our wee hotel. We arrived at about half past nine, tired and not at all hungry. The hotel felt like a palace after last night’s tent, and we packed and repacked our cases before having lovely showers. Oh the joys of an en suite shower after the squalor of camp site showers! Soon we were in our comfy bed, it felt wonderful. 

The challenging (for me) hiking, the dreadful communal showers and toilets, and the tiny tents all pale into insignificance beside the beauty and wonder of Torres del Paine National Park. I feel so privileged to have visited this wild and unique area with its jagged mountains cloaked in glaciers and its turquoise lakes. Walking among it is the only way to experience it properly. I feel very grateful that James brought me here. 

James walked 21.6 km and ascended 670 metres. 

W Trek Day 3 - Cuernos to Paine Grande via Mirador Britannico

Today we walked from Cuernos to Paine Grande. James’ jacket fell out of the top of his rucksack at some point after we left Cuernos this morning and he didn’t realise until we had been walking towards Francès for an hour. A man from Brazil, Hermanos, told him that he had found it and handed it to some girls who were heading back to Cuernos. James decided to go back for it because it’s a newish and costly jacket. I continued onwards at my usual slow pace but I was mainly in the shade, which made for much more pleasant walking than yesterday. The paths seemed slightly easier too, either that or I’m getting used to climbing over boulders! I could hear sounds like thunder; it was ice falling off the glacier high above me. 
James caught up with me at the Italiano hut, which is very basic and used mainly for people to store their backpacks while they go up to Mirador Britannico. Unfortunately his jacket had not been handed in at the Rifugio Cuernos so it was a wasted extra two hours of walking for him. He decided to go up to Mirador Britannico all the same, while I plodded slowly on to Paine Grande. I immediately ran into Jürgen and Margit, who had just descended from Mirador Francès, which is about half way up. Jürgen told me that he had trouble with his knee yesterday, it locked while he was on the trail and was very painful. They made it to Rifugio Francès (having been turned away from Cuernos at 3 p.m.) and he went straight to bed. I’m amazed and impressed that he was back out walking today! I don’t understand why they were turned away from Cuernos at 3 when we were given a tent at 5.30; perhaps I seemed more distressed, or perhaps they keep a couple of tents back for people who arrive later and won’t have time to get to the next hut. 
I was talking to a very nice American gentleman on the trail and saying that I wished that I had got fitter before the holiday, and he said that at the beginning of the baseball season in America, if you haven’t got fit enough in advance, you say, “I’m playing myself into shape.” So that’s perhaps what I’m doing! We have met so many lovely people while walking the W trail. 
The distance of my walk today was allegedly 11 km, but it felt much longer due to the rubble paths, including huge rocks, and lots of ascending and descending. My watch recorded 16 km. The views were amazing, starting with Lago Nordenskjöld and then Lago Skottsberg. I slowly passed Cerro Paine Grande which looked magnificent from every angle, capped with snow.  Finally I could see Lake Pehoé  with Rifugio Paine Grande in the distance. I think that I arrived at about 4 p.m. after starting the walk at 8 a.m. which was very slow but the terrain is rough. I went in to the rifugio and had a cool drink in their lounge. James arrived back at about quarter to seven. Dinner was self service and very slow, but the food was ok, and we finished the day with drinks in the rifugio’s lounge. 
James walked 47600 steps today - the most he has ever done in one day. Not his longest distance though, because it involved a lot of ascent. His longest distance was probably 50 miles in 22 hours when he did the Caledonian Challenge. 
Today I did 12.2 km and 269 metres of ascent. 
James did 29 km and at least 930 metres of ascent. (This included his extra two hours of returning to Cuernos to look for his jacket.) 

W Trek Day 2 - Central to Cuernos

It was warm today. Too warm for me so I was very nervous about our walk from Rifugio Central towards Rifugio Frances. I was right to be worried as it turned out. 
When we were walking from the campsite to the rifugio for breakfast we saw the Torres del Paine all lit up pink by the rising sun; they looked stunning.  At breakfast we were chatting to a lively American girl called Emily aged 31 from New York, who has recently been laid off with five months pay, so she decided to travel. She was so enthusiastic and positive.
We packed our rucksacks and set off, on the same path as yesterday, but instead of turning up towards Chileno we walked up a hill to a viewpoint overlooking Lago Nordenskjöld. It’s very beautiful. The lake is pale turquoise because of the “rock flour” from the glacier suspended in it. On we walked, but instead of the lakeside path that I had anticipated, our path was very rough and high above the lake most of the time. 
It was a beautiful day but very very hot in the sunshine. The shaded woods that we walked through were pleasantly cool but we were mainly walking up or across rocky hillsides in the full sun. The paths were covered with pebbles at best and boulders at worst, and lined with shrubs including lots of chaura (aka murtillo) which is part of the Heather family, with bright red berries. There were also Notro / Chilean firebush, with a distinctive red flower. 
We had to climb over every headland and then descend to a river, sometimes crossing a rickety bridge, before climbing up the next headland. The saving grace was that the views of the lakes and mountains were stunningly beautiful. However I became increasingly hot and tired and after about six hours James had to carry my rucksack for me. I kept stopping to cool down and honestly I could have just lain down on the path and gone to sleep. James had to cajole me along which I know was very trying for him. We were supposed to walk to Rifugio Francès but we stopped 3.5 km short of it at Rifugio Cuernos. I was desperate and couldn’t have walked a step further. The receptionist was really helpful and swapped our booking. This was partly because I was exhausted but the main reason was that I was overheated. 
We had a lovely dinner at Rifugio Cuernos chatting to Fred and Karen from Vermont. 
Today James and I both walked 12.4 km and 319 metres of ascent but it was rough going and felt much more! I was very glad to get into our tent for an early night. 

The W Trek Day 1 - Central to Mirador Las Torres return

This was the start of the W Trek for us and I set off before dawn, about 7.15 a.m. because I knew that I would be slow. James went to breakfast, collected our box lunches and caught up with me after I had been walking for about an hour. The path was quite stony but well-signposted, and ascended gradually to Windy Pass which has fantastic views steeply down the valley with the river below, before descending to the Rifugio Chilena. It was a cool but very humid day and the mountains were swathed in clouds. A train of sure-footed pack horses passed me, being led by a gaucho on horseback; they were carrying supplies for the rifugio. James walked on to Mirador Base, Las Torres; the viewpoint at the base of the towers. I stopped at Rifugio Chileno after about 4 hours of walking (about double the time that it should have taken), which is a small rifugio set prettily among trees right down beside the river. It was extremely busy inside at first, probably because it had started to rain quite heavily. My new waterproof jacket (thank you James!) kept me nice and dry. I got a seat without any trouble and had a cup of coffee, and soon the rain went off and it brightened up. I had arranged to meet James there and I couldn’t leave without him because neither of our phones has reception. I chatted to a lovely Belgian lady called Clara who was waiting for her group to return, and James appeared about an hour and a half later and we walked back to the Rifugio Central together. By now it was very sunny and I was suffering in the heat, but I made it back and lay down in the shade of the tent before going for a refreshing shower. Dinner was slightly better than last night although the polenta left a lot to be desired; I don’t know what they had done to make it such a strange watery texture. We were both tired and after a wee walk to the welcome centre we had an early night. 
Today I did 11 km and 490 metres of ascent. 
James did 20.6 km and 980 metres of ascent.

Torres del Paine

We were picked up from our hotel at the civilised hour of 9 a.m. by a man driving a wee jeep, to travel the two hours into Torres del Paine National Park. Our alternatives would have been a 7.30 a.m. bus (too early since our proper walk doesn’t start until tomorrow) or a 2.30 p.m. bus (arriving a bit too late to enjoy exploring the area around the camp) We drove through wide grassland valleys, where sheep, cows and guanaco were grazing. Guacano are the type of llama which live in this area of Chile and they are absolutely beautiful. So vocal was my enthusiasm that the driver stopped so that we could take some photos of them. We also saw an ostrich and even flamingos wading in shallow Lake Amarga. The road to Torres del Paine is part of the Ruta del Fin del Mundo - the End of the World Route, which goes down through Chile from Puerto Montt for 1240 km to Tierra del Fuego at Ushuaia, Argentina or Puerto Williams, Chile.
When we arrived at the entrance to the National Park, there were the Torres del Paine towering above us in all of their glory, sharp and silvery grey in the sunlight; to one side of them sloped a big snowfield, still there despite this being the end of the Patagonian summer. We continued about 20 minutes to the large Rifugio Central which nestles beneath the Torres del Paine, and set off for a walk to find the beginning of tomorrow’s trail. This was not difficult because it’s well signposted. It was warm and sunny so the valley and the mountains looked glorious but those who know me will realise that a hot day does not serve me well for walking. I was soon sweltering. Luckily there was plenty of shade back at the campsite where rufous-collared sparrows (aka Andean sparrows) with their wee tufted heads were hopping about, and tired back-packers were returning from the mountains. We checked in at the campsite and were directed to our bizarre tent-on-stilts, climbing up a ladder to get into it. We were gratified at how clean and comfortable it is inside; the mattress covers the whole floor and there are various windows (covered with mosquito netting) which can be opened or closed by rolling the fabric up or down. On the other hand, you have to climb down the ladder if you need to go to the toilet in the middle of the night! Dinner was served at trestle tables in the main rifugio and was distinctly unexciting. The so-called aubergine soup was like grey water. It was also served at considerable speed because there were two sittings, at 7 and at 8.15, so the three courses had to be consumed in an hour. We chatted to a couple of pleasant German - Americans called Jürgen and Margit, who emigrated to the USA in their twenties for work and live in Phoenix, Arizona. We had an early night tucked up in our little tent. 

In Patagonia

We were picked up early from our hotel to catch the 08.53 plane from Santiago to Puerto Natales in the south of Chile; a three and a half hour flight down this long, narrow country. We were seated separately because we hadn’t booked seats until yesterday, but it turned out that the two seats beside James were both free. James asked the flight attendant to fetch me which she duly did. It meant that I got lovely extra leg room and an empty seat between us. I did have to forfeit my window seat which might have had a view of the Andes but the nice American couple beside me were delighted to gain the window seat and spare seat in the row, so it was win-win. 

We were taken by car to our hotel in Puerto Natales, a little town with a frontier feel; mostly Nordic style wooden houses, a small town square, and a big harbour. It’s set on a fjord called Ultima Esperanza with mountains all around it, and I was delighted that the temperature was pleasantly cool compared to Santiago. The Milodon is the local prehistoric beast, remains of which were found nearby and a large statue of which greets visitors to the town. We went for a walk to the fjord and along to the fishing harbour. We were delighted to see a variety of birds as we strolled along; a small bird of prey called the Chimango Caracara, black-necked swans, branta goose, southern lapwing) There were lots of restaurants and cafés, and after a good walk around the town we ate in an excellent fish restaurant called Bote (boat) where James enjoyed the local speciality of King Crab and for dessert I tried a mousse made with Calafate berries, Patagonia's version of a blueberry. It’s small and tart and contains more seeds than a blueberry; I loved it. James had a taste too which is great because apparently if you eat Calafate berries you will definitely return to Patagonia one day! Another walk to the fjord ensued to watch the sun set. 

Tuna for breakfast in Chile!

 We tried a strange greenish fruit at the breakfast buffet this morning which was full of quite large hard seeds. I asked the waitress what it was and she told me “it’s tuna.” Knowing that it definitely wasn’t fish, we investigated (thank you Google!) we found out that it is in fact prickly pear! * A first for both of us. We met Marcello at 9.30 and set off by car and then cable car to visit the impressive Statue of the Virgin Mary on the top of Cerro San Cristóbal. It has great views over the city and Marcello pointed out all the landmarks. There was also a grey band lying just above the city which is unfortunately pollution from all of the cars in this city of 8 million people. There is a little church and square near the top of the hill dedicated to the Basque immigrants to Santiago. They are not the only immigrants; in addition to the descendants of the Spanish and the indigenous people, there have been many waves of immigrants such as Germans, English, Venezuelans, Peruvians and many more so it is a very diverse city. Marcello himself has French, Spanish and Jewish ancestry. We descended from the hill by a little funicular railway and then walked through the pretty Bellavista area where we saw Pablo Neruda’s houses, and continued through the old town and the market. We ended up in the main square in the oldest part of the city; Plaza de Armas. It was attractive with lots of trees and a couple of statues as well as Santiago Cathedral. Finally we visited Constitution Square to see the presidential palace which was destroyed in the coup of 1973 when President Allende was killed, and then rebuilt. Marcello’s guidance and commentary were very interesting. It was however very hot so we were glad to arrive back at the air conditioning of the hotel in the early afternoon. We relaxed at the pool again before going out for dinner to the Galindo Restaurant near the market in Bellavista, which Marcello had recommended to us earlier as a good Chilean restaurant. The meal was delicious, very reasonably priced, and massive! We then wandered back into the market, pleasantly cooler in the evening but still warm, and had drinks sitting outside in the small square watching a young couple singing with guitar and flute called “Duo Caminhos” which means “two paths.” It was a lovely evening. 

* Tuna, as in the fish, is in fact “atún” in Spanish.

London to Santiago

I was absolutely delighted to get about eight hours of sleep on the plane from London to Santiago. This is thanks to the joys of Economy Plus, where our seats are slightly wider than in Economy, with more leg room and I think that they recline slightly more as well. I stayed awake until after dinner and then fell asleep very quickly. Despite the long flight (13 hours) there is only 3 hours time difference between the UK and Chile which should bode well for avoiding jet lag. We were collected by car from the airport by our guide Marcello, who chatted to us about the city before dropping us at our (very smart) Hotel Solace in Providencia. We will have a proper city tour tomorrow. Santiago is hot! It’s early autumn here so it’s about 32 degrees - I think it can get a lot hotter in the summer. 

Nothing daunted, we went for a walk along the river. The Mapocho River is currently but a burn in the middle of two city parks, beside the main road through Providencia. We went into the shopping mall below the Sky Costanera which was full of European brands, and had a coffee there before heading to the more arty Galeria Drugstore for a quick look around. Back at the hotel I was keen to go to the rooftop pool which was delightfully cool and we had cocktails while looking over the city to the foothills of the Andes. 

All packed for my holiday

On Sunday the Iranian state media confirmed that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei had been killed along with many other state officials. However Iran is still attacking other countries with missiles so the regime is still not completely gone. I don’t know how all this is going to end. Alison and Hugh arrived late on Sunday from Gran Canaria on their way home from their holiday and departed on Monday morning after we all had a leisurely breakfast and a good chat. After a sunny session of pickleball outdoors at the tennis courts I finished packing for our holiday. In the evening I completed all of my preparation for CHS Training Day 5, which for me will be at the beginning of April. I was glad to get it done before my holiday but I will need to do a wee bit of revision before the next session to refresh my knowledge!
Which brings me to today. Despite having already packed I spent the morning footering about with chargers and adapters, and checking that I had packed everything. It was a classic case of a task expanding to fit the time available! The cats were suspicious when we took our suitcases downstairs, in case we were about to load them into the car to travel to Ullapool, but we were able to say a proper goodbye to them before they scarpered out of the cat flap. Now I’m on the plane about to take off to Heathrow, before our long flight from Heathrow to Santiago in Chile. 

Military Strikes on Iran

It has been a pleasant week at Casa Anderson. I went over to Heather’s to watch a French film with her; La Passion de Dodin Bouffant. It was delightful and very French! Set at the end of the 19th century, it was a love story about French cuisine. 
James and I were back at the Citz to see George Bernard Shaw’s Saint Joan with Gordon and Morag. While he was not hugely enthusiastic, James enjoyed it a lot more than Waiting for Godot! I thought it was excellent, the young cast were amazing and the minimal scenery worked well. It was in the wee theatre which felt very intimate, especially since we were in the second front row. 
I also had another day of Children’s Panel training, my last with my current group. This is because we will be away on holiday for most of March so I will need to join another group in April for my final three sessions. I was sad to say goodbye to my chums. 
This evening we had Heather and Ewan over for dinner; I made estouffade de boeuf in honour of the French film we watched, because it was a similar recipe to the pot-au-feu made by Dodin Bouffant. It seemed to go down well with the meat eaters, and James’ crême brulée was delicious. 
However things are not so peaceful in the wider world. Today the United States and Israel launched military strikes on Iran. Several top Iranian leaders have apparently been killed in the strikes; and Iran, immediately started firing missiles at Dubai, Qatar, and other places who are allies of the west. The hotel that we stayed in with Ally and Cat in Dubai four years ago, the Fairmont at the Palm, has been hit and is on fire. Pete and Roisin are ok and following government guidelines to stay indoors. And Kevin had only just left Qatar by plane ahead of the missile strikes, on his way to the UK to visit his brother. 

Those Canadian fingers

Alison and Hugh arrived yesterday to spend the night with us before their holiday to Gran Canaria. It was great to see them and we had a good chat before dinner; then watched the Winter Olympics closing ceremony together, which was quite entertaining. There was much music including some excellent excerpts from Italian opera, and of course the competitors all marched into the stadium in a happy mood.
The British commentator pointed out, “The Canadians are wearing gloves, no doubt to protect those all important fingers.” This was a funny and apt reference to the controversy during the curling, when a Canadian player was clearly seen applying his forefinger to the stone of the curling stone after he let go of the handle, thereby giving the stone an extra wee push after it entered the “no further contact” zone. He got away with it because apparently the players had already all signed off at the end of the match that it was played fairly, and that shot luckily didn’t actually affect the outcome of the match, but he still got into a shouting match with a Swedish player over it. The umpires kept a very close eye on the players during the rest of the matches so no harm done. 
Alison and Hugh left very early in the morning while we were still asleep, and we will see them again next week on their way home.
I had lunch with the ladies today; Helen, Wendy, Maggie and Libby. We had lots of news to catch up on; Libby’s son Cameron got married on Valentine’s Day, and Maggie’s daughter Megan will be having her first child in a couple of weeks, and lots more. We had a good time in Il Pavone and the food was delicious. Late afternoon James had an appointment at Braehead and afterwards we decided that the traffic on the M8 would probably be very busy since it was about 5.30 p.m. so we spontaneously decided to go to the nearby Odeon cinema. We went to see a film of which we had not heard, called “Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die” mainly because it was about to start! It turned out to be a good choice. It was about a strange man who appears in an American diner and tells the customers that he is from the future and needs their help to save the world. It had a really good plot with a twist at the end that I didn’t see coming. It starred Sam Rockwell who is always excellent, and it was quite funny as well as portraying a terrifying and believable future for the human race. My only criticism was that it was derivative of several other films and tv series that we haven’t seen, such as Terminator, Ghostbusters, and several episodes of Black Mirror. James and I both thoroughly enjoyed it. 

Crail for lunch

We drove through to Crail today to visit Margaret. We walked from her home to Crail golf club, a pleasant 5 km along the Fife coastal path. Luckily the weather stayed dry for us and we had beautiful views of the rocks and pools and the sea as we made our way along the path. The club house is absolutely immaculate and we sat at a table overlooking the golf course and had a tasty lunch. Margaret had thoughtfully parked her car at the golf club in the morning so she could give us a lift back to her house after our meal. As we headed back to the west the rain came on very heavily, so we felt pleased that we had enjoyed the best of the day. On the way we listened to not one but two episodes of The Rest is History podcast, continuing the series on Nelson which was very interesting and quite moving. We have reached Nelson’s death; he was only forty-seven and had literally dedicated his whole life to his country. He wasn’t perfect, his affair with Emma Hamilton verged on the obsessive; however he was the right person at the right time to win the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805 and secure Britain’s hold over the seas for the next hundred years, as well as scuppering Napoleon’s plans to invade Britain. It came at a cost though, with thousands killed as well as Nelson. 

James did not wait for Godot

We have been to see two plays, two nights in a row. The first was “Midsomer Murders, Murder at Badgers Drift” which was great fun. It starred Daniel Casey, the actor who originally played John Nettles’ sidekick in the tv series. I have only seen a few episodes of Midsomer Murders over the years but it was a neat wee murder mystery and quite funny too. The best line had to be from Barnaby: “I have been a police officer in Midsomer for thirty years and admittedly it doesn’t have the lowest crime rate in the country ….” Heather and I are old hands at this genre of theatre, however this time James and Ewan sportingly came along too, because I had accidentally booked four tickets! I booked two tickets for Heather and me almost a year ago, forgot all about it and then booked two more tickets six months later. I only realised when I went to write down the second booking into my diary. So we had a nice dinner in Il Pieno first, and I appreciated that Ewan had come straight from work by train to join us. James was bemused by the play; he didn’t hate it but ultimately thought that it was “tosh” which is why he avoids murder mysteries on television. 
Then we went to see Waiting for Godot at the Citizens Theatre with Gordon and Morag. We had pizzas first which were delicious. They have a strange system where you can’t order your pizza until a pile of pizza boxes can be seen being carried in from the restaurant next door, upon which the customers waiting in the bar rush forward to buy them! The excellent George Costigan played Vladimir and Matthew Kelly played Estragon. James wasn’t looking forward to it because he had read the play at school and loathed it. Unfortunately he didn’t enjoy seeing it performed either, and intermittently dozed off as well as sighing heavily from time to time and at one point during a very long monologue I distinctly heard him mutter “Shut up!” So I wasn’t too surprised when the interval he announced that he couldn’t bear to stay for the second half and was heading home. In other words, James didn’t wait for Godot! The other three of us enjoyed it though; Morag said that it was performed more humorously than the London production that they saw recently. It was spell-binding despite being described by critics during its first production as “the play where nothing happens - twice!” 

Walks and waterfalls

When I was walking up the drive the other day I saw that Flora was watching me from inside the living room window. She absolutely stared at me and according to James, who was also in the living room, she started moaning and growling. As I approached the house I could see her wee mouth grimacing and James told me that she was hissing loudly! Flora has done this before with many people that she knows well; I think it must be territorial and she hates to see someone invading her territory and this overrides her recognition until they are close to her. Yesterday, James and I walked round one of our favourite places, Chatelherault Country Park. It was dreich rather than full on rainy, and James was equipped appropriately in his walking trousers, gore-tex jacket and backpack. As we approached the café for lunch after our 8 km walk, a family were just emerging into the drizzle. I saw them looking at James, and I heard the father say, “Look at him, dressed like that, he’s ready for any weather!” I felt proud of my husband’s preparedness! I was also wearing waterproof clothing, but James always looks particularly smartly turned out, whatever the occasion.

Today the weather was much better when we went for a 12 km circular walk at New Lanark via the Falls of Clyde and Kirkfieldbank. There was a huge amount of water plunging down the waterfalls; thundering with clouds of spray as it rushed down the valley; it was spectacular. The paths were muddy underfoot and there were lots of snowdrops on the river banks. It was a lovely walk. 

Walking beside the River Broom

We had a great five days in Ullapool. I did some Children’s Panel prep, some painting and some reading. We also had a good video call with Jamie and Kerry to chat about wedding plans. We also enjoyed doing a bit of walking along the River Broom from the small bridge at Auchindrean to the bridge at Lochbroom Lodge. We walked along the river path which was pretty and involved climbing up and down lots of steps. When we got to the main bridge we turned up the hill and then walked back along the unsurfaced road to the car, about 10 km in all. Then the next day we parked the car at the main bridge and walked along to Clachan Church. It was from here  in 1773 that 189 local people were rowed out to the sailing ship Hector which was moored in the loch nearby. Eighteen of them died of dysentery or smallpox on their eleven week journey to Pictou in Nova Scotia, where they were not given their promised year’s worth of free provisions, so had to scramble to survive. As the song goes, “I wonder how you got on when you reached the promised land?” After looking around the churchyard we walked on past the start of Loch Broom for about 3 km before retracing our steps. It was interesting to explore a new part of the area. We headed home on Tuesday afternoon; on the way we listened to a couple more episodes about Nelson on The Rest is History. 

Book Club, Social and Art

It has been a pleasant week. I had a lovely time at Book Club at Jenny W’s, we discussed The Names and there was plenty to talk about. Rachel told us the lovely news that she is expecting a baby in August, I’m just so delighted for her and John; they have been through so much and deserve this happiness. On Thursday morning I went to observe three Children’s Panel hearings. Obviously I can’t discuss what happened but it was very interesting and I was impressed by the panel members’ knowledge and skills. Later we had coffee with Marjory and Forrest, we had a nice chat and Marjory seems to be getting on ok but it’s still so recent that her Mum died, my heart goes out to her. 

Gerry and Janis were on good form when we had brunch with them on Thursday; they are loving being grandparents to wee Rory who is already nine months old.

I have started back at art classes on Fridays at the PPWH. We still have the same lovely art teacher, Jenni, and most of the same students. I am hoping to learn how to use watercolours. Or at least to start to learn how to use watercolours! And straight after the class James and I headed to Ullapool where we are spending a few days. 

Jean-Luc Godard and Pickleball

Jamie phoned us on Sunday just before our plane took off to tell us that he was on his way to his first day of his new job as a consultant paediatrician. I so feel excited for him and proud of him. On Monday Heather and I met for dinner in Sarti’s and then continued our French film club (pour deux personnes!) by going to see A Bout de Souffle at the GFT. It’s part of a Jean-Luc Godard season. It was filmed in 1960 and its chaotic, amoral lead characters were probably quite shocking at the time. Jean-Paul Belmondo and Jean Seberg were both very young and beautiful, and despite the brief and unsatisfying plot, the film is still very compelling. I enjoyed it very much. 

The next day I went to my first ever game of Pickleball at the church hall, which was great fun. Alison T invited me, and I was delighted to meet up with Janie and Lesley, as well as a couple of girls I didn’t know. Everyone was very welcoming and we were quite a mixed ability group so I didn’t feel out of place due to my lack of skills. I will certainly return. 

Birdwatching

After a breakfast of coffee and pastries at their flat, Ally suggested that we all visit Rainham Marshes nature reserve, which is only a twenty-five minute drive from Limehouse. It’s hard to believe that these peaceful marshy wetlands are so close to London. It has a visitor centre with friendly, enthusiastic staff who told us what birds to look out for at this time of year. The weather was grey but it stayed dry for us as we walked the 5 km circuit, stopping at several bird hides on the way. Inside these hides, numerous bird enthusiasts were spending their Sunday afternoon watching birds with binoculars and long lens cameras, often with a flask of soup or sandwiches to sustain them. Information on sightings was exchanged, such as “Look over there, a female marsh harrier sitting on the ground - you don’t often see that!” We saw many ducks including tufted ducks, marsh harriers, lapwings with their long crests sticking up from the back of their heads, jays, and lots of geese. Ally had been keen to see a bearded tit but this proved elusive so he will have to go back another day. So will Cat, whose ambition to spot a water vole was unfulfilled! I found this foray into the world of bird watchers to be fascinating; I admired their dedication and friendliness. Every time that we visit them in London, Ally and Cat take us to new and interesting places.  

Two bongs from Big Ben

We got the front seats on the DLR on the way to meet Ally and Cat and it was great fun pretending to drive it! We met Ally and Cat for brunch in a delightful French café called Chez Antoinette near St James’ Park, then made our way to Westminster for our Big Ben tour. We have toured the Houses of Parliament before, but none of us had ever climbed the 334 steps up to the bell tower. The tour was great, the tour guide told us so many interesting facts about the clock tower, its history and mechanism. We had fantastic views from the top and then came the main event; we were provided with ear defenders just in time for the bells to chime the hour, and since it was 2 p.m. we were treated to two resounding “bongs” from Big Ben (which is the name of the bell rather than the tower.) The whole experience was even better than I had hoped. After a quick coffee, Ally and Cat took us to Portobello Road to see the shops and the market. On the way we noticed that the actress Celia Imrie was sitting near us on the tube; when we disembarked Ally offered to carry her case up the stairs for her. She accepted and called him a gentleman - I was so proud of him! We have never been to Portobello Road before and it was vibrant and busy, we were reminded of the song and dance scene from the film “Bedknobs and Broomsticks” and we saw the bookshop that featured in the film “Notting Hill.” We went to a nearby pub for a tasty dinner and then took the tube across London to the National Theatre to see Ballet Shoes. Ballet Shoes is one of both Cat’s and my favourite childhood books, in fact Cat gave me a copy of the book and a DVD of the recent film for my birthday a few years ago. So going to the play felt like a bit of a risk in case it didn’t live up to our expectations. I need not have worried; it was an excellent production and we all enjoyed it. What a great day we have had! 

Dot to dot

Today we set off to London to see Ally and Cat, our journey enlivened by delays on the motorway and booking tickets for Kelvingrove Bandstand while in the queue for security! And then we booked a boat trip on Loch Katrine while we were on the plane, before we took off! (a lovely birthday present to James from Heather and Ewan.) 

Arriving in London we went straight to the National Gallery and had a delicious sandwich lunch in Supporters’ House, before going to see the Neo-impressionist exhibition “Radical Harmonies: From Seurat to Van Gogh.” I was pleased to see it because Heather and Ewan enjoyed it and I thought that I would be too late, however it’s on for one more week. The paintings, whose genre I was taught at school was called “pointillism” * were pleasant, especially from a distance, and I can see that it’s a sort of progression from Impressionism. However it did seem that they were restricting themselves by this method of painting. James said that the paintings were “the occasional triumph over technique” - in other words he thinks that they went to a lot of effort without matching results. I concur with this, although I thoroughly enjoyed the exhibition. 

In the evening we phoned Kerry in New Zealand to wish her a Happy 30th Birthday. It’s still 30th January here in the UK but they are 12 hours ahead in New Zealand so it’s already her birthday (31st) there. We were pleased that our card and present had arrived in time to their new Auckland address. Kerry already works in Auckland, and Jamie will start his new consultant job there on Monday. Excitingly it’s now a year until Jamie and Kerry’s wedding in New Zealand. I got them a wee countdown chalkboard for Christmas, where they can mark how many days until the wedding. 

 * Apparently the neo-impressionists hated being called pointillists, probably because they felt that there was much more to their work than dots! 

Home again

It felt like a long journey home from Italy on Saturday, although it all went smoothly and the plane was only a bit late taking off. We had gorgeous snowy views in the bus ride to Innsbruck Airport, and an interesting commentary from the Inghams rep; for example she pointed out the building works for a bypass for the lorries that make the motorway too busy. They will be shuttled underground by train, although the project will not be finished until 2034. Innsbruck airport was very busy and we had to stand in a long queue for passport control, but I have stood in worse queues in the past so I’m not complaining. Once we landed at Edinburgh Airport and said our farewells to Heather and Ewan, it was only a 45 minutes drive to home and a fond reunion with the cats. I had a nice hot bath which made me so sleepy that I dropped off to sleep the minute my head hit the pillow. 
Since the weekend we have had rather dreich weather and have got back into our normal routine including a Children’s Panel training day for me today which required quite a lot of preparation. The training was intense but very practical; such a lot to take in! Our lovely course leader assures us that it will all become like second nature eventually. Tonight we went to another fun quiz night at the Rowantree Inn with Davie and Chanel; we came a respectable fourth. 

Fantastic Holiday

We are relaxing in the hotel lounge this morning, in that strange limbo of waiting for our lunchtime coach to Innsbruck Airport. It is snowing heavily outside and looks very pretty. Thursday was James’ 64th birthday and what a great day he had. He received cards and presents at breakfast as well as some birthday messages, and then set off happily for a long and sunny morning of skiing with Heather and Ewan. We all had a late lunch at the Luigi Gorza Refuge at Porto Vascara way above the village at 2478 metres high. Our table by the window overlooked the stunning Dolomites with the Alps of Austria in the distance. The food was very special as was the company, it was a joyful occasion. After lunch we took photos of the mountains from the terrace, and one of the waiters kindly took some good photos of the four of us. We had a lovely rustic dinner of “local” Val Gardena food, which was great but perhaps a few too many grains and pulses for me, especially after the huge bowl of polenta that I had at lunchtime! My stomach felt very full! The food in the hotel is excellent and I will miss it. 

My knee finally gave out after four (short!) days of skiing, so I amused myself by strolling around the village and having coffees and reading my book (House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende) and enjoying the scenery. Although a bit disappointing, four days isn’t bad and hopefully I have not quite yet reached the end of my skiing years! On the other hand James, Heather and Ewan all skied for an impressive six full days. The weather has been so fantastic, it has been such a good holiday. 

Pink Dolomites

My second and third ski lessons went well in terms of technique, however my knee continued to be very sore. I was not downhearted however, and still had fun and enjoyed the sunshine and snow. The scenery in the Dolomites is just amazing and the mountains above Arabba glowed pink in the sun. James, Heather and Ewan continued touring the area and covering huge distances. Heather showed me their route on the Strava App which is very impressive, there is an option to animate the route so you can see the cursor moving along all of the lifts and pistes that they skied, you can even see the line wiggle down the steeper slopes where more turns were required! Today I took the gondola up to the mid station at Porta Vescova after my ski lesson and had a coffee and croissant surrounded by mountains. It was really warm sitting outside in the sunshine but then the sun moved behind a cliff and it suddenly became very cold! The others arrived back about an hour after me and following some après-ski drinks, Heather and I went to the hotel spa and chatted while relaxing our legs in the jacuzzi before another delicious dinner. 

Sunshine and snow

A much better ski day for me today! I met up with my pleasant ski instructor, Federico, in the morning and we spent two hours on the blue run practising my turns. I felt more confident although my knee still isn’t great. Most of all I thoroughly enjoyed myself and I’m so delighted still to be skiing. Federico is 24 and has a cat called Osvaldo known as Ossie. The weather is fantastic, with sun and blue skies. Meanwhile James, Heather and Ewan skied the Sella Ronda including a stop at the famous woodcarving shop where Heather purchased another hand-carved deer for her collection. To my surprise they got presents for me too. James gave me a cute round-bellied marmot and Heather and Ewan got me a gorgeous little kitten. Both of these were hand-carved in Val Gardena from pine wood, so you can see the grain of the wood. I felt very moved that they all thought of me. Another great evening ensued. 

Return to Arabba

The journey to Arabba went very smoothly yesterday; we flew from Edinburgh to Innsbruck and then had a two and a half hour bus journey to Arabba. Ewan informed us that the last time we were here was six years ago, in 2019. We are back in the same hotel, the Sporthotel, and it’s just as smart and comfortable as I remember, and the bedrooms seem to have been refurbished in new, lighter wood. We were too late for dinner but were served cold platters of food in the bar area. After a celebratory brandy in our room we slept well, although woken at 7 a.m. by very loud church bells! I dropped straight back to sleep and woke in good time for a hearty breakfast. Then;  came the inevitable footering around to walk down to the ski hire shop, leave our skis at the chairlift, back up to the hotel to leave our snow boots and then back down to the chairlift. My skiing started disastrously; despite going down a reasonably easy blue, my right knee was instantly painful and I felt that I could hardly turn to the left. I encouraged the others to ski on while I made my way back to the resort. I managed down ok and decided to go up a wee chairlift that I could see culminated at a short wide blue run. Except that I got into the wrong chairlift and was lifted back up to the top of run 22 again! So down I painfully skied a second time and then went to book myself three individual lessons at the ski school for the next three mornings. I will also buy a knee support because foolishly I didn’t bring one of the couple that I have at home - I say foolishly because I already knew that my right knee has been deteriorating; last week I couldn’t bend it when I was attempting to get out of the bath! And this morning it was very sore when I was pushing my foot into my ski boot. I spent the afternoon in the spa and was impressed to find out that James, Heather and Ewan had skied 32 km today! We had a convivial evening and by the end of dinner we noticed that it was snowing lightly. 

Northern Renaissance Brunch

We left Ullapool on the rainy afternoon of Tuesday 13th January after an excellent fortnight in sun, wind, snow, sleet and rain. The next day was the first session of my (resumed) Children’s Panel training. * It was informative and interesting, and the group I’m training with are all very friendly. When I got home I did the homework from Day 1 straight away because I will be on holiday next week. I will then have a few days to do the preparation for Day 2 which is in a fortnight. I had a busy couple of days of shopping, haircut, packing, and I met up with Sue for brunch in Burnside. I met Sue on my Northern Renaissance Art Course, and it was very nice to see her again; we chatted about lots of things including Krakow and the Marian Altar in St Mary’s Church. I got my results back from the course a few days ago and was delighted to get a “B” with just over 70%. I found doing the essay and visual test to be helpful in consolidating my understanding of the course, the whole experience was great fun. I’m hoping to do another History of Art course later in the year, and it will be interesting to learn about a different art movement, but there will always  be a big part of my heart in the Northern Renaissance! 

* I paused my training in March last year when I was unwell, but was encouraged by my tutors to resume it this year.