Beethoven and Sparks

We went to a couple of very contrasting concerts this weekend. I. Saturday evening we went to Beethoven’s 9th Symphony at the Royal Concert Hall; it was the RSNO’s season finale. It was excellent, such great music and so full of energy. I saw that Fiona was singing with the RSNO choir, it’s great that she is back singing because she loves it so much. 
And last night we went to see Sparks at Kelvingrove Bandstand. We were so lucky with the weather, it was so warm and sunny that I had to take off both my jacket and my fleece, which I was wearing in case it got chilly. Sparks got a rapturous reception from the crowd which was well deserved because they gave us a great show. I think that they were a bit puzzled that it was still daylight after 10 p.m. because they asked the crowd “Does it ever get dark here?” 

Scotland scores in the World Cup

We did not stay up last night to watch Scotland’s first game in the football World Cup because it didn’t start until 2 a.m. and we didn’t fancy a 4 a.m. bedtime. Lots of people did watch it though, including our dear son Davie, who was very tired today! Scotland won against Haiti 1-0 which was a good start. There were Scotland flags everywhere today; on house windows, cars and lamp posts. James and I went to Troon for a sunny walk along the beach and brunch at the Venice Cafe. 

Meanwhile Jamie and Kerry have arrived in the UK for their three week visit, and are spending the weekend with Ally and Cat In London, before heading to Ireland to visit Louise and then Ayrshire to visit Chris and Stacey and their three wee children. We will see them when they arrive in Glasgow next Friday.

On Wednesday we had lunch at Christine and Gerry’s in Dunlop. It was a sunny day and after our tasty lunch we sat in their gorgeous conservatory to have coffee. It was really nice to catch up with them. Then in the evening we met up with Davie and Chanel at the Rowantree Inn for pies and the quiz night. They were both looking well and were full of the joys. We came a respectable third in the quiz. 

Calton Hill and Kraftwerk

We had a lovely day in Edinburgh on Tuesday. We had tickets for Kraftwerk at Edinburgh Playhouse in the evening. We set off by train to Edinburgh after lunch and walked from Waverley station in a straight line all the way down to Leith, pausing for coffee at the Brunton Bookshop cafe. It was a fine day for a walk and stayed dry even though it kept threatening to rain.  We then took the tram back up to the Playhouse and walked up several sets of steep steps to the top of Calton Hill. Neither of us have been up there before. 
The reason for our visit started when Marjory sent me some photos that she took from the cafe there last year and I was very taken with them and asked where they were taken from. And then very thoughtfully Marjory and Forrest gave me vouchers for Cafe Calton for my birthday! 
As its name suggests Cafe Calton is at the top of Calton Hill, wth amazing views all around Edinburgh and over Leith to the Firth of Forth. It’s very smart and the food (a selection of small plates) was absolutely delicious. It was only ten minutes walk back down the hill to the Playhouse to see Kraftwerk. We have seen them once before in Dublin in June 2017, almost exactly nine years ago. Again they were brilliant, and I thought that the graphics were even better than last time. It’s such a visual show; the visuals are hypnotic. It was a fantastic concert. 

Long Days

I love this time of year for several reasons. First of all is the warmer temperature. I don’t like strenuous walking in warm weather, but I love sitting outside in the garden, where I am invariably joined by both cats. They love us being outdoors! Yesterday I had breakfast sitting on the love-seat, and Flora came and sat on the other half of it which was very endearing. Tom wasn’t far away, strolling around on the grass behind us. I also love the longer days, waking in the daylight instead of the dark. It’s great to play Pickleball outside at the tennis courts, so much milder than the chilly weather of a few weeks ago. And the back room is so warm that we often open the French windows and enjoy the fresh air while having lunch or reading or just chatting. It’s all very pleasant. 

A doggie visitor

Three of my cousins, Janie, Julie and Abigail came round for lunch today. Abigail brought her wee Westie, Rowan, and we were lucky to have lovely weather which meant that we could sit out in the garden. It was a delightful afternoon full of chat and laughter, and Rowan enjoyed getting lots of attention from all of us as she hunted bumble bees. Luckily she didn’t catch any!

Flora was upstairs in our bedroom when our visitors arrived and wisely stayed there; I’m sure she knew that Rowan was there because she appeared just after they left. However Tom was outside patrolling his territory when our guests arrived, and although he did not put in an appearance at all during the afternoon I suspect that he was watching us and our doggie companion from a distance the whole time. 

After Janie, Julie, Abigail and Rowan left, Tom came into the kitchen and gave James a hard stare before leaving again. James interpreted this as Tom being in a “furious mood” which I thought was very funny. He did give us a wide berth until the evening by which time he accepted some cat treats and appears to have put the incident behind him. 

Playboy of the Western World

This evening I went to see National Theatre Live’s production of Playboy of the Western World. I didn’t know what to expect and I was certainly surprised by the strange tragi-comic and downright absurd plot. The actors were all very good and performed in thick Irish dialect which took Gordon and I a while to get used to. The play was first performed in 1907 and offended Irish Nationalists so much that there was rioting in the streets! They thought that it was vulgar and mocking Irish culture, but I think it was actually mocking all human behaviour. 
I have been to see National Theatre Live several times before, and it is very nearly as good as seeing a play live on stage. This is probably because you are in fact seeing it live on stage, with zoom in shots and different camera angles, albeit recorded. It was a fun evening. 
Postscript - one of the actresses had a familiar Cusack look for me, and when I looked her up later I was pleased with myself for correctly identifying Megan, one of the younger members of the Irish Cusack acting dynasty! 

Beach day

Thursday was the hottest day yet of this early heatwave; about 24 degrees in Ullapool. Of course this is small beer compared to the record-breaking (for May) 35 degrees that is being experienced in London, but it still felt very warm. We decided to head to a beach and chose the small beach at Clachtoll. It was like being at the Mediterranean! So warm, with white sand and turquoise blue sea. There were a few other people on the beach but it wasn’t too busy, unlike many of the beaches in England this week where there has been over-crowding and even fighting. We are so lucky to be in the north west of Scotland. There were some people already swimming in the sea, and I lost no time in joining them! I put on my wetsuit for the second time and it certainly kept me warm in the water - almost too warm! I felt too separate from the water. So the second time I went in just in my swimsuit without my wetsuit and it was delightful. After a picnic lunch on the beach James went for a walk and then we headed back to the cottage. The mountains looked very clearly defined in the afternoon sunlight. 

Summer arrives in Ullapool

We have had such a lovely week in Ullapool with Mitchell and Gosia. They have visited Scotland several times before, but never so far north, so it was a pleasure introducing them to the area. We took them to lots of our old favourite places such as Corrieshalloch Gorge, Inverewe Gardens and Lochinver, and they were enthusiastic and interested in everything. One highlight was going to a concert at the Village Hall by Session A9. Iain and Iris had recommended this Scottish traditional music supergroup to us and they were even better than I had hoped and expected. Mitchell and Gosia loved them too. Every set was excellent and the music was varied and powerful. One of the musicians was sitting very near to the edge of the stage, and was playing his fiddle with such energy that his chair moved closer and closer to the edge until Gosia spotted that he was about to go right over and gestured to warn him just in time. He was very grateful and even blew her a kiss. 
Another highlight was a trip on the Shearwater, where we saw porpoises, lots of seabirds, and two sea eagles flying around near their nest at the top of the cliffs. This was particularly interesting to Gosia and Mitchell because they are keen ornithologists, and they also identified lots of birds at the feeder when we were eating breakfast in the mornings. Gosia fell in love with Tom cat and wanted to take him home with her! 
The weather started a bit grey at the beginning of the week, however the heatwave that was being enjoyed in the south of England gradually pushed its way north and soon we were able to sit outside and enjoy the sunshine. We climbed up Knockan Crag and James told Gosia and Mitchell all about the geology of the area. We enjoyed going down to the harbour to watch the luggers sailing around the loch with their four sided sails. They had gathered in Ullapool for the annual Luggerfest which included music, talks and stalls at the harbour. We bought kippers and watched the ships being piped into the harbour by a kilted bagpiper. We ate in the Ceilidh Place a couple of times and had lunch at the Seafood Shack. On Mitchell’s birthday, Gosia had arranged a surprise; whisky tasting at Glen Ord Distillery for Mitchell and James. They had a great time and Mitchell even got to bottle his own whisky. 
Mitchell and Gosia introduced us to Sequence, a part board, part card game, which was great fun and we played it nearly every night. I have ordered one for ourselves, I think that Davie and Chanel are going to love playing it. On their last day with us we headed through to a very hot and sunny Inverness, where we visited Culloden Battlefield and then a brewery in the town centre. We walked along the banks of the River Ness and it was stunningly beautiful. 

The Marriage of Figaro

On Sunday, we went to see The Marriage of Figaro at the Theatre Royal. It started at the early time of 3 p.m. which was just as well because it was about three and a half hours long including the interval. We both thought that it was wonderful. The plot was convoluted and indeed downright silly, but that’s to be expected from Opera. The music and singing however were absolutely sublime. We had seats in the front row which were fantastic because we could see the orchestra as well as the singers. What a great afternoon.
We arrived home in nice time to have a pizza dinner with Davie and Chanel. We had a great chat with them as usual; I find their opinions and knowledge to be very interesting. And we talked about anything and everything, including politics, religion, the Eurovision Song Contest and David Attenborough.
I had lunch with my school pals today at Il Pavone and as usual it was a pleasure to see them. Libby pointed out that in September this year she and I will have been friends for fifty-nine years! I think that we will have to have a special celebration for our diamond friendship anniversary next year. 
Today something happened which affected me much more than I would have expected at my time of life. I had been very pleased and flattered by an invitation which was then rescinded. Well such is life and to quote the film Casablanca, my little hurt feelings “don't amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world." 

Simon Evans

It has been a social and pleasant weekend. We met up with Ally and Colin Walker at the Art Gallery on Friday and had lunch in the café. Then on Saturday, we took the train through to Edinburgh and had brunch with Janet and Peter. It’s a while since we’ve seen them and it was really nice to catch up; they’re looking well and were full of the joys. It was a beautiful spring day and we strolled along Princes Street and down to the National Portrait Gallery. We wanted to see the portrait of Alan Cumming because we had recently watched a television programme about how it was painted. It’s by Gibraltar artist Christian Hook, and was painted in 2014, as the winning commission for the  Sky Arts portrait artist of the year. It’s very striking and I thought it looked even better in real life. There were lots of other really interesting portraits of Scottish people, some more my taste than others. 

We then went to the nearby Stand Comedy club, where we met Gordon and Morag for drinks and then watched comedian Simon Evans. I have never seen him before, and I was very impressed and indeed amused. He’s a couple of years younger than us and I thought he was very funny; very intelligent and confident. He seemed just to be telling us stories about his life, but it was really insightful and he made connections between all sorts of things. I would certainly go to see him again. The train was very busy on the way home but we managed to get seats and soon we were home in Cambuslang watching our old favourite, the Eurovision Song Contest. 

A Wee Girl

Yesterday I had a welcome meeting for new panel members in Hamilton, because we are now all officially qualified. Before this I met my former colleague Jennifer for a long overdue coffee in a nearby Starbucks. It was lovely to see her and we had a good chat. I had been thinking about Chanel and David all day. This was because it was Chanel‘s 20 week scan, and as well as checking that everything was okay, they were going to find out the gender of their baby.

A message arrived from Chanel on the family chat while we were still in Starbucks; “All healthy at the scan and baby growing well. Any guesses on gender?” We all started guessing and a short while later the answer arrived: “Girl!” Davie and Chanel even posted a photo of the scan photo sitting on top of a pink baby grow! I exclaimed “It’s a girl!” so loudly that people sitting at other tables in the cafe turned round to look at me and Jennifer was laughing! 

Now, just to be absolutely clear, the main and most important message here was that Baby Anderson is healthy. However, finding out the gender felt very exciting. We already thought of our grandbaby as a real wee person, but knowing that she is a wee girl makes it all feel even more real! A wee boy would of course have been equally welcome, and I would be delighted to welcome some (lots?) more Anderson boys and girls to the family in the future. How fun it is going to be to have a granddaughter! 

Oh dearie me!

We went to see The High Life at the King’s Theatre with Gordon and Morag on Tuesday after at tasty dinner at Cafe Antipasti. 
I watched this Scottish comedy programme in the 1990s, and I loved it. Strangely enough James does not remember it at all. Starring Alan Cumming and Forbes Masson, it’s about two air stewards on a fictional Scottish airline, camping it up and having various nonsensical adventures. They are supported by the eccentric and chaotic Captain played by Patrick Ryecart and terrifying chief stewardess Shona Spurtle, played by Siobhan Redmond. There were only six episodes ever made because shortly afterwards Alan Cumming went to work in America. It was really nice that all four main characters were reunited for this revival. They have made it into a musical and of course sang the catchy original theme tune. It was very funny and we all enjoyed it. 
Recently I accidentally ordered three boxes of tinned pears instead of three tins, which means that we have eighteen tins to use up! James decided that the perfect way to use these would be by adding Angel Delight, an ultra-processed powdered dessert which is whisked with milk to form a delightful mousse in various flavours such as chocolate or even better butterscotch. This was an favourite of ours in the 1980s, but we haven’t eaten it for decades. James secretly purchased a few packets and surprised me this evening with a dessert of tinned pears topped with chocolate Angel Delight; I was transported back to the early days of our marriage in the 1980s in a positively Proustian experience. 

Psychic Cats

We decided to adopt a new strategy when heading from Ullapool to Glasgow today. The cats have become very finely tuned to clues that we are packing up, no matter how subtle we try to be. They then disappear outside and don’t return to the cottage for hours. I can’t blame them because they hate the car journey, even though they seem happy in either of their homes and settle in immediately on arrival. So today I decided that instead of trying to be surreptitious about our departure, we should just pack up blatantly, let the cats do their own thing, and be prepared to set off at any time during the afternoon or even the evening. A plan like this requires two rules: -
a) stick to the plan.
b) hold your nerve. 
By late morning James was breaking both of these rules. When the cats arrived into the house just before lunch time he wanted to set off early, despite the fact that we hadn’t had lunch or finished packing the car. When I let them back out again according to our plan he became quite worried. I hoped that they weren’t picking up on his nervous tone but I think they heard him and stayed away for longer than they otherwise would have. I then made the mistake of trying to pick Tom up as he sauntered past when James and I were sitting outside on the garden benches. Needless to say he gave me the slip and I ended up pointlessly chasing him down the lane. They arrived back at about 5:45 and we quickly set off homewards. In theory our plan had worked because we departed within our target timeframe, but I think we would have been able to set off a bit sooner if we had been more relaxed because Tom and Floof definitely picked up on our intentions.

Phil Kay

Many years ago, maybe about 20 years ago, James and I went to see a Scottish comedian at the Fruitmarket in Glasgow called Phil Kay. He was very funny and his comedy was quite off the wall; rambling stories going off at a tangent. At the time he appeared on television a bit, but we hadn’t heard of him for years. Last weekend we saw in the Ullapool News that he was appearing last night at the Ceilidh Place Venue, and we got ourselves tickets. Well he has got older, but then so have we! Now in his mid fifties Phil Kay was still rambling and often forgot what he was talking about; in fact a guy in the second front row helped him out several times by reminding him! However he was mostly genuinely funny in his anarchic way, and at some moments he was extremely funny! From time to time he would pick up his guitar and improvise a terrible song. It’s pointless to try to describe any of his jokes because they were so weird and he certainly wasn’t to everyone’s taste; a couple of people walked out and quite a few just looked bemused. Those of us who got his humour very much enjoyed ourselves. 

Plockton and Sir David Attenborough

James and I travelled from Ullapool to Plockton on Thursday, so that James could climb a Corbett in the south of Skye. Before we set off, we made sure that both cats were safely in the cottage, and loaded up their food bowls with plenty of wet and dry food for two days. The journey was only two hours, and when we arrived in Plockton, it was breezy but sunny. We checked into the Plockton Hotel, then went for a walk through the little village and up to a viewpoint where we could see across to Skye and Raasay in the distance. We had a nice dinner in the hotel, and our room overlooked the water which was lovely. The next morning we had an early breakfast and set off to Skye where I dropped James off to climb his mountain. I went onto Portree where the weather was sunny, then rainy, then sunny, then rainy, changing every 15 minutes! I had coffee in a small café where I was chatting to an American couple from Oregon. I set off back along the road and stopped at the ferry terminal for Raasay, a place which holds good memories for the Anderson family. I went across on the ferry and back as a foot passenger, although I didn’t have time to disembark on the island. James had made tremendously good time on his Corbett and in fact was already waiting for me when I arrived to pick him up at 3 pm. We then drove all the way back to Ullapool, where the cats were very enthusiastic to see us; to have fresh food and to go outside to play. In the evening we watched a tribute to David Attenborough on BBC One because today, 8th May, is his 100th birthday. What an amazing person he is. He has done so much good in the world advocating for our planet and its wildlife. The celebration was at the Royal Albert Hall and Sir David attended, standing up without assistance when the audience sang Happy Birthday to him. 
His parents were pretty amazing too - his Mum was an activist during the 1930s and organised relief for Basque children from the bombing of Guernica; his Dad was the son of a grocer who worked hard to become a historian and academic, and the family took in two Kindertransport refugee children in 1939 who lived with them for seven years and kept in close touch for the rest of their lives. David and his brothers needed to get scholarships to be able to go to university (or drama school in his brother Richard’s case!) What an impact David Attenborough has had on the world! 

Pies and Music

During the days at the weekend we went with Ian and Iris on a couple of outings. They already know the area well, but hadn’t been to the new visitor centre at Corrieshalloch Gorge so we went there and walked down to the bridge along the new path. We also visited Lochinver and walked along to the harbour and had lunch at An Cala before each choosing a pie from the pie shop for our dinner, which we ate later with mash and broccoli. We even had a wee lunch sitting outside at the Seafood Shack, which has a shiny new building this season, although the seating is still outdoors. It was only just warm enough but worth it for the fresh seafood. On their last evening Ian attended a concert at the Macphail Centre which was for musicians only, so Iris, James and I went for drinks at the Argyle Hotel before wandering along to the Ceilidh Place. Our timing was perfect because we arrived there just before the crowd arrived from the Macphail Centre for that night’s session, and we nabbed a really good table at the side, from where we had a great view of all the action. I was speaking to a man called Pete McCallum because the night before he had sung an excellent song called “The Bothy Jazz Song” and I wanted to ask him who wrote it. It turned out that he had written it himself and when I told him that I had loved it he said “That deserves a hug!” and indeed gave me a big hug! We got to know quite a lot of the musicians by sight over the three evenings and chatted to some of them, they are a friendly group. We said our farewells to Ian and Iris on Monday as they set off to visit friends in Beauly. 

Fèis

We spent a lot of this weekend at the Fèis in Ullapool, which is pronounced “faysh.” Its full name in Gaelic is the Fèis Rois nan Inbheach which means Ross-shire Adult Festival, and it is held annually during the first holiday weekend in May. It’s all about traditional Scottish music, with workshops for the musicians during the day and sessions in various pubs at night, as well as a few concerts. We were aware that it happens, but this is the first year that we have attended any of it. This was thanks to Ian and Iris; they mentioned it to us earlier this year so we invited them to spend the weekend with us in Ullapool. Ian hadn’t signed up for the workshops this time, but he took part in all of the sessions and we went along with Iris as his official fans! We weren’t the only spectators but most people at the sessions were participants, and very talented. Someone would start a tune and everyone else joined in. There were lots of fiddlers, also guitarists, Celtic bagpipers, a cellist, a harpist, flautists, and a few drummers who were playing bodhráns. I really loved it but what I hadn’t bargained on was the extremely late nights that were involved. The musicians love to play and they carried on until the Ceilidh Place finally asked them to leave after 1 a.m. Then we would walk back to the cottage where James dispensed whisky and eventually Iris and I went off to bed at about two, leaving James and Ian to party on. Except for Sunday that is. I had expected that to be an earlier night because it was the end of the festival, but oh no. It was the latest night of all and we didn’t get to bed until 3:30 in the morning! 

Pleasant interlude in Ullapool

We set off to Ullapool on Tuesday after my morning Pickleball club which was outdoors at the tennis club in the good weather. We had a good run north and had a celebratory fish / veggie burger supper on our arrival. The cats jumped out of the car and ran off to reacquaint themselves with their northern territory. We carried the benches out of the garage in the morning and sat outside in the sunshine. The weather continued warm and sunny for the rest of the week and we had a great time going for walks and having cake and coffee outside Tea by the Sea. James worked in the garden and I got the cottage spruced up for our visitors, Ian and Iris. I also did some batch cooking, we watched the second season of the irritating but compelling The White Lotus on television, and read our books. A peaceful and pleasant week. 

The Sir Walter Scott

Today we went to Loch Katrine to go for a boat tour on the steamship Sir Walter Scott. This trip was gifted to James for his birthday by Heather and Ewan, and they decided that they would join us. The day got off to a shaky start when the road was closed at Loch Venachar which added forty minutes to our journey and unfortunately kept Heather and Ewan waiting for us at the Brig o’Turk tearoom. However it was great to see them and they put us at our ease and we even had time to go for a short walk at Brig o’Turk before our cruise. The Trossachs are so pretty in springtime, although we were too early to see many bluebells; only a few were beginning to appear. We drove the short distance to Loch Katrine and boarded the boat, welcomed by a man who was wearing a captain’s hat and a natty tartan waistcoat. Built in 1899, the Sir Walter Scott has been sailing on Loch Katrine since 1900, although the fine Scottish tradition of sailing on the loch dates back to the mid 19th century. Loch Katrine has also been the reservoir which supplies most of Glasgow with its water since the mid 19th century; although not Cambuslang, our water comes from Camps Reservoir near Crawford. The boat wasn’t too busy on this sunny Monday morning, and we really enjoyed the views of the loch with Beinn Narnain, Beinn Ime and Ben Vane visible beyond the far end. As we sailed westwards, snow capped Ben Lomond appeared from behind the hills to the south. Some members of our party found the breeze to be slightly chilly, but not me; there are some advantages to my intolerance of heat and near immunity to cold! The trip was an hour in total and then we had another fine tradition of Scottish high tea in the restaurant overlooking the loch; a tasty and generous amount of sandwiches, scones and cakes. 

Craig Ferguson

We were at the O2 Academy this evening with Gordon and Morag, to see Craig Ferguson. The show had been postponed from last year so we were excited to see him. We arrived early enough to have a very enjoyable drink and chat with Gordon and Morag before it started. I have never seen the O2 with seats installed downstairs before, it’s usually a standing area during concerts. James was wondering where they store such a substantial amount of seats when they are not in use. Craig Ferguson was very funny, he’s a clever man. I have seen him before in The Accidental Death of an Anarchist at the Citz many years ago and he was brilliant. If anything I thought that he was slightly nervous about being back in front of a Glasgow audience after so many successful years in America, but he got a warm reception. He said that his agent had told him not to worry because if people didn’t like him they simply wouldn’t buy tickets for his show, but he said “You don’t know Glasgow people!” implying that they would buy tickets just to prove to themselves that they were right about him, which I thought was very funny. His humour was anecdotal about his childhood, family, and experiences and we all enjoyed it very much.  

Lots of wild garlic

My cheese and wild garlic scones turned out to be excellent if I do say so myself. The weather has turned very warm and sunny and we have been enjoying sitting in the background room with the French windows open. To our surprise who appeared on the patio this afternoon but my old chum Vinnie! James and I greeted him warmly and were about to give him some dog treats that I still have in the cupboard, but then I heard Suzy calling him; she is dog-sitting while Rachel and John are on holiday. Vinnie and I went up to the top of the garden to see her, her garden is securely dog-proof so clever Vinnie must have made a Houdini-like escape through the hedge! I wonder if he heard and recognised our voices? 
On Friday evening, after a very pleasant and sunny day walking along Troon Beach, we met Gordon and Morag to see the Bon Jovi Experience (the only “official” tribute band as they proudly announced!) Gordon had kindly invited us along, and I accepted with alacrity because I assumed that James had been a fan of them in the 90s. It turns out that he wasn’t actually a fan but the band and music were very good and we both enjoyed ourselves, as well as Gordon and Morag’s friendly company. 
Today was a cooking and garden day. I made potato and wild garlic soup with more wild garlic from the Clyde Walkway. It was fine but the delicate taste was perhaps just a little too delicate. Cornel and Heather came for dinner and in addition to the soup we made roast lamb with juniper berries and asparagus, followed by James’ excellent crème brûlée. It was a happy evening. 

Springtime Fun

On Sunday evening James and I went out for dinner to La Lanterna in Grest Western Road; Marjory and Forrest had very kindly given us a voucher for Christmas. We hadn’t been here before, and we really liked it. The food was of course Italian and plentiful. On the way home we saw a beautiful rainbow arching over Glasgow, with a faint second rainbow beside it. 
I wore a new swimsuit when I went for a swim on Monday morning, but I didn’t realise before I put it on how low cut it is. I felt a bit embarrassed although I’m sure that no one else noticed! Marjory came to Pickleball with me on Tuesday; it was the first time she has played it. Everyone made her very welcome and she picked it up very quickly, she has a real instinct and talent for it. We walked back home and had lunch with James and Forrest. Tom was so happy when we went out for a stroll around the garden and kept us company, then he sat purring on Marjory’s knee. It was a warm and sunny afternoon and Floof also joined us in the back room. 
This morning we went for a cycle to Cuningar Loop. James had very kindly serviced both of our bicycles so that they were ready to ride. It was only a 16 km round trip and very pleasant along the verdant Clyde Walkway. We picked some wild garlic so that I can make cheese and wild garlic scones. 
In the afternoon I visited Janet in hospital, she will be getting home tomorrow which is excellent news, and she was looking well. And in the evening we went to the pub quiz with Davie and Chanel. We didn’t win but we had a great time. 

The Baby and Toddler Show

Today was my last day of Children’s Panel Training. I felt excited that I had finally made it to Week 7; it has been a lot of work but so interesting and I have met some great people. I then met Chanel at the SEC and we went to the Baby and Toddler Show. It was absolutely fascinating. Pram technology has moved on a lot in the last thirty years and I was very impressed with how smoothly the new prams turn. Something new (to me anyway!) is a cot which can attach to the bed, called a bedside crib or "next to me" crib, with a mesh partition which can slide down. This means that baby can sleep in their own space while being within arm's reach for feeding and comforting. And the car seats are amazing, they can turn sideways to make it easier to lift baby in and out of the car. We had a lovely time wandering around looking at everything. Davie and Chanel had already chosen their pram system so after trying it out we went ahead and ordered it. Back at home James arrived home early from his hill-walking weekend due to bad weather. I was determined to complete and submit the decisions and reasons for this week’s Children’s Hearings and it took me most of the evening. But now it’s done, hooray, and my training course is truly complete. In due course I will (hopefully) receive an email to tell me that I have been approved and that I can sign up to hearings as a panel member. 

L’Étranger; Killing an Arab

Yesterday evening, James and I went to see L’Étranger with Heather and Ewan; the 2025 film version of Camus‘s novel. It was filmed in black-and-white which suited the downbeat atmosphere and Benjamin Voisin was excellent in the lead role. It’s a long time since I read the book but I reckon the film was pretty true to the story, and Camus’s bleak absurdist view of the world was well portrayed. I absolutely loved it. We went for dinner to red onion afterwards and chatted about the film. Ewan had correctly discerned that the song “Killing an Arab” during the closing credits was by the Cure; we looked it up during dinner and in fact it was written by them about the novel “L’Étranger” back in 1984 as their debut single. The title and lyrics have been condemned as racist by people who didn’t realise that it was about the book and this has given them a lot of grief over the years. Robert Smith has said that he wishes they had given it a different title! 
In laundry news, Ally and Cat brought me a beautiful merino wool jumper for Christmas in a cornflower blue colour. This week I have been doing a big clothes cleared out and when I was looking at the jumper, I noticed that there was a mark on the front of it which I hadn’t noticed when I put it away before. I decided to hand wash it, which I don’t do very often, but I really wanted to be careful so that the jumper would keep its softness. I managed this successfully but oh boy it took a long time to dry! This was because I dried it flat on a towel to keep its shape. It was worth it because it looks and feels brand new. 

Films, television and a camellia

I had a very relaxing day on Sunday; Ally arrived home from Sandy’s stag do early afternoon and James and I had a good chat with him before taking him to the airport for his flight back to London. We then drove the short distance to Braehead to see a film that Cornel recommended to James; Project Hail Mary. It’s a science fiction film starring Ryan Gosling about a space flight which is a last ditch attempt to save our sun from being destroyed by “astrophages.” It is very watchable with some great moments, but is a bit silly and schmaltzy in places. All in all I enjoyed it though, and afterwards we seamlessly headed straight to East Kilbride to collect a curry which we ate while watching last week’s episode of Race across the World. 
I had a lovely lunch with Chanel on Monday; we went to Homegrown Garden Centre in Gartcosh, and Chanel very generously bought a beautiful camellia for David, to put on their front doorstep. James and I are enjoying watching the third series of The Capture which is about AI and fake news. I am also enjoying my guilty pleasure; watching Below Decks, but I am practising delayed gratification by rationing it out at one episode a week. And a new season of Race across the World has just started, which is downright silly but has beautiful scenery and is extremely enjoyable to watch. 

Assessment

Today was my assessment in chairing a Children’s Hearing. I have been preparing for it all week, which I realise is ridiculous because in real life you have to prepare for three hearings at a time with only a few days notice. I was determined that I would be well-prepared but in the event I was over-prepared because I tried to place some detailed actions on Social Work that are not in the Panel’s remit! Apart from that I think it went well but I would like to attend a lot of hearings before I feel ready to chair a real Children’s Hearing. I’m so tired because I have been sitting up late making notes for the hearing all week, and then last night we were up late chatting to Ally, who is in Scotland to attend Sandy’s stag do. It was lovely to see him. This morning I got up super early to go over my notes one more time. I felt more relaxed once I arrived at the Leonardo Hotel; my new group are a friendly bunch and we were all supporting each other. And so Day Six of my training is finished! Next Saturday will be my final day of training. 

Spring has indeed sprung

We drove up to Ullapool on Sunday, passing through every sort of weather imaginable including snow. The mountains in the highlands are snow capped but thankfully the roads were clear. When we arrived, the heating was not working at the cottage. We will need to get it fixed properly again, but James came up with the ingenious solution of switching off the hot water in order for the heating to work. And when required, he can switch the hot water back on again. So we had rather a chilly first evening at the cottage which James improved by lighting a nice big fire. It’s great to be back in the cottage, but having been abroad for most of March it was quite strange to think that we are already in April, especially when it was chilly on Sunday. 

What a change today! I am sitting outside the cottage on the love seat and it’s almost too hot! A cruise ship arrived into the loch this morning and the water is sparkling in the sunshine. Birds are singing, the cats have been rolling around on the warm slabs, and it really feels like proper Springtime! I met baby Duncan today, who was all smiles out in the garden with Natasha. He is gorgeous! 

A Social week

After going on holiday, especially a long one, there is much social catching up to do, and that’s what this week was like! I had a lovely dinner with several cousins at Janie’s house on Monday; Janie, Julie, Rona and me. It was really nice to catch up on news, and we had a good laugh. 
James and I went for a walk around Chatelherault Country Park on Tuesday; this seemed easy peasy compared to the more challenging terrain of the Torres del Paine National Park! We spotted a clump of bright yellow coltsfoot, which is an early season flowering plant, but didn’t see any spring lambs yet. The weather was sunny and quite mild. 
Heather and I finally got to see “Inspector Morse: House of Ghosts” exactly a year after our first attempt! This was because I booked the tickets about fifteen months ago, assuming that the show was in April 2025! When we arrived that evening War Horse was showing instead; in our cool and adaptable way we got tickets for that instead and it turned out to be very good! But on 1st April 2026 we arrived to see Inspector Morse at last, starring the dishy Tom Chambers, and it was excellent. The plot was convoluted and a little unlikely, but the cast were great and we both enjoyed it. 
On Thursday I visited Gran Jan in Monklands Hospital. She was taken into hospital because of a haemorrhage in her bladder, but unfortunately she then developed clots in her lung. The clots have now been dealt with and the bladder is still under investigation, but she’s looking great and was due to go home the next day. The physiotherapist arrived to assess her, with a step for her to practice on because she has a couple of steps at her front door. She was pretty amazed at how nimble Gran Jan is, considering that she’s 91 years old! Later Davie and Chanel came round for a curry; Chanel is now 15 weeks pregnant and looking good. 
We attended a celebration for Sue on Friday. Sue died about five years ago, during Covid, so her funeral was very small and due to Covid rules there could be no gathering after it. Her daughters, Cora and Eilidh, decided that it would be a good idea to have a party for her friends on what would have been her 70th birthday. It was a lovely informal occasion and Sue’s walking club friends, neighbours and other friends all chatted about her fondly. I also met Gordon and Sue’s granddaughter Susie, who lives in Canada. What a cutie. 
Finally on Saturday, after my fifth Children’s Hearing training session (I’m now with a new group) we went for a delicious dinner at Heather and Ewan’s, when we showed them our photo book of our Chile holiday and heard about their ski holiday and had a good chat. 

Hailstones and Spring flowers

I arrived in Glasgow airport at 5.30 p.m. on Friday and two hours later I was hosting book club! I had actually asked to swap with someone but they had forgotten, so a message went out a couple of days beforehand that I was the host. I decided just to roll with it and it turned out fine; James kindly bought crisps and cakes, and I had plenty of soft drinks. It was, as ever, very pleasant to see the book club girls. Rather touchingly Flora spent the whole of book club sitting on the back of my chair; she seems pleased that I am home. Tom also gave me a big welcome.
We left Cambuslang at the end of winter and have arrived home in Spring! A chilly and rather wet Spring, but the flowers are beginning to blossom in the garden; daffodils, hydrangea, primroses, and the magnolia at the top of the garden is just about to bloom. However when we went into town on Saturday to buy James his new jacket (the one he lost in Chile never did turn up despite our enquiries), we were suddenly pelted by a shower of hailstones! Saturday was also Ally’s birthday; he phoned to thank us for his presents and we had a nice chat, Cat sent us a photo of the birthday cake that she has made for him. We decided to watch the film Sinners because it recently won several Oscars including Best Actor for Michael B. Jordan. Well, how strange! It started off about the social tensions in 1930s Deep South of America, but suddenly segued into a vampire film! The music was very good though; old country music, as well as a memorable dancing scene where the people’s ancestors appeared to dance with them, and I thought that it elevated the film. 

Summerfolk

It has been a whirlwind few days in London. I met up with Gordon, Morag, Sheena, Peter, and Alan at the Brasserie Zedel for lunch on Wednesday. It was really good and very French. My cheese soufflé was delicious. We then went to see “I’m Sorry Prime Minister” at the Apollo Theatre. Based on the popular tv series of the 1980s, it was very enjoyable and a bit like watching a couple of episodes of the series; the Prime Minister is long retired and is trying to cope with political correctness in his old age. The original cast have all died so the retired Prime Minister was played by Griff Rhys Jones and Sir Humphrey was played by Clive Francis. At the end there was a touching wee tribute to the original cast and writers as posters with their photos descended from the ceiling and the cast turned to applaud them. The London Theatre Club then repaired to a local hostelry for drinks before dispersing in various directions. Gordon headed to the train station for his return journey to Glasgow, while Morag and I walked to Westminster Abbey to attend a history talk about King James VI & I. It was strange to be in the sparsely lit abbey at night time, and the talk took place right beside King James VI & I’s grave, which is in a vault beneath the Henry VII Chapel. The talk was by historian Clare Jackson; she was very knowledgeable but not the most captivating speaker; let’s just say that she is no Lucy Worsley! Also it was really cold in Westminster Abbey! Morag and I went to a wee Italian Restaurant just off Leicester Square to warm up before going back to our hotel in Whitechapel. 
On Thursday morning we went to the Sky Garden for brunch. It was delightful and there were fantastic views in the sunny weather. I have been before with James, it was Morag’s first visit and we both loved it. 
After Morag left to continue her trip to see relatives, I decided to book a last minute ticket to see Summerfolk by Gorky, at the National Theatre. In 2019 James and I went to see Vassa by Gorky at the Almeida Theatre, and there are some similarities such as a decaying family and society. Summerfolk (1904) is about a group of idle and unhappy members of the Russian bourgeoisie, who are spending the summer at a dacha in a forest. There was a reference to the recently deceased Chekhov and his play The Cherry Orchard saying it "went on too long!” Apparently Summerfolk is often viewed as a response to The Cherry Orchard; this is interesting to me because we will be going to see The Cherry Orchard at the RSC in Stratford in July, so I will be able to compare the two plays. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and expertly navigated my way back to Whitechapel afterwards. I’m now at Heathrow airport ready for my afternoon flight back to Glasgow; I have been away from home for twenty-three days! 

A Splendid Day Out in the capital

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.)