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.