We didn’t mean to go to Durness

The fires in the Gironde region at their worst caused a "pyrocumulonimbus" - a giant fire thunderstorm fuelled by its own winds and lightning. There is a smoky haze over Bordeaux and even eighty miles east of Bordeaux at Jennifer’s house in Lot-et-Garonne the air smells smoky. However although it is still burning, the firefighters in the area seem to be containing it so Bordeaux is not immediately under threat. 
I was sorry to hear that my favourite Goody, Bill Oddie, has died. Although I liked the other two as well, in fact they were all my favourites. The Goodies was such a great programme in my childhood memory. 
I have done so much batch cooking that the freezer in the garage is just about full, so today James and I decided to go on a northerly expedition to the Rockstop Café near Scourie and then Lochinver. However at the turn off to Kylescu we came across two hitchhikers, a mother and son from Germany, who were heading to Durness. So we decided just to take them there instead! They were very pleasant; the mum, Katya, is a chemical geologist and the son, Anton, is still at school. We drove through the beautiful Sutherland scenery with James pointing out the mountains like an proper tour guide, and as we arrived in Durness a mummy duck and six ducklings crossed the road in front of us, it was very sweet. There was even less of Durness than I remembered. After we dropped Katya and Anton off, we had a light lunch at Coco Mountain in the hippy dippy craft village and then went for a walk along Balnakiel Beach. It’s a gorgeous beach with a broad swathe of white sand, and the weather was blowy but sunny. The mountains and lochs were spectacular on our way back to Ullapool. 

A Country Night in Inverness

We had a relaxing start to Saturday and enjoyed sitting outside in the sunshine at the cottage. After lunch we headed back to Inverness where we did a large Tesco shopping for some batch cooking, and then we met Alison and Hugh for dinner. Alison had booked  McBain’s, which is down at the river a short walk from the Eden Court Theatre. The restaurant was very busy and I was glad that Alison had booked, because Inverness is clearly very busy at the height of the summer. We had a tasty meal and a good chat. 
I’m just blogging The show that we went to see was Dominic Halpin and the Hurricanes playing “A Country Night in Nashville.” It was Alison’s suggestion that we should go and it turned out to be excellent, they are such a good covers band and played lots of well known Country songs. There was a great atmosphere and everyone was up dancing. The second last song was my great favourite “Wagon Wheel” and the last song was James’ favourite “Dance the Night Away” which was a great ending to the concert. 
Today I have been cooking all day while listening to podcasts and taking the occasional break to sit outside on the bench and drink a coffee in the company of Tom and Floof. Unfortunately I have run out of containers to freeze the food so I have had to order more online! 

Commonwealth Games 2026

Last night James and I went with Davie and Chanel to the Opening Ceremony of the Commonwealth Games. It was held at the Hydro and first we had a tasty dinner in Joia on Argyle Street. When we were walking through the tunnel that crosses the Expressway we could see all of the athletes lining up outside the Hydro to do their parade. The Opening Ceremony was excellent, very well organised. The King and Queen appeared to arrive by Tardis which was quite amusing, and were escorted to their seats by Sir Chris Hoy. There was music and dancing, and in came the athletes, happy and excited to be there after all their hard work in training. Various officials made some pleasantly short speeches and then there was more musical entertainment culmination in KT Tunstall singing “Suddenly I see.” There was a big queue at exhibition Centre station, but thanks to Chanel’s state of pregnancy were waved to the front of it which was delightful. A great evening.
And then today we were at the SEC to watch two sessions of the Commonwealth Games, again with David and Chanel. The first one we watched was five aside basketball which was very fast moving and very interesting, it took me awhile to pick up the rules. We had lunch in the SEC and then went to our second section, which was bowling. Again it was very interesting and I felt I learned quite a lot about the game. James and I left a little bit early because we were going to drive up to (Ullapool) in the evening. After dinner we captured the cats with unusual efficiency, and made good time to Ullapool, arriving at about 11 p.m. The cats were on good form and went outside to explore the garden. 
Further to my post on Wednesday, we saw on the news that all of the Cap Ferret peninsula has now been evacuated, either by road or by the same ferries that we took between Cap Ferret and Arcachon. 

Cooler Summer in Scotland

Our journey home on Tuesday went smoothly and by mid-afternoon we were reunited with Tom and Floof who seemed very pleased to see us and followed us around the house and garden.
I was shocked to see on the news that huge forest fires have broken out near Cap Ferret on the Arcachon Basin, where we were only a few days ago. And two local firefighters died earlier this week fighting another fire close to Bordeaux airport. As I have already mentioned in my last few blog entries it is very, very hot down there in South-West France and all of the grass and trees must be extremely dry and ready to burst into flames. 
I have recently been in touch with my Mum’s friend Heather from Glasgow School of Art in the 1950s. Heather has sent me a bundle of letters that my Mum wrote to her in the late 1990s and early 2000s. I was a little bit worried that I would feel very sad when I was reading them, but they were lovely letters and it was just like hearing my mum‘s voice again. The first letter was written just three months before my dad died in January 1997; at that time they couldn’t find anything wrong with him but with hindsight it seems obvious that the cancer had come back. Mum was never really the same after he died. She tried, and in a lot of ways succeeded, to get on with her life, but she had loved and relied on him so much, and missed him very much for the next 13 years. She did get a lot of joy out of all five of her grandsons, and she was a fantastic grandmother. She used to make all sorts of arts and crafts with them, they were very lucky. It was great that she lived just along the road and we could all pop in and out to see her. In one of the letters she had written a wee poem about Dad and her, here it is:
He was my life, he was my friend. 
Our parting had to come one day. 
But surely this is not the end
He waits for me? I cannot say.
But if we never meet again,
If what I had is all there is,
I will not be ungrateful then
That he was mine, and I was his.

Bletchley Park and The Cherry Orchard

The first thing that I noticed when we walked down the steps of our plane at Luton Airport was how pleasantly cool was the midnight air - so much cooler than Bordeaux! Our plane was an hour late when we arrived at our airport hotel, just a short walk away from the terminal, we dived straight into bed. 
The temperature today at Bletchley Park was 26 degrees, which I used to think was very warm but at 10 degrees cooler than Bordeaux it felt really refreshing! There was a nice gentle breeze too. We went to Bletchley on our way to Stratford-upon-Avon and the huts with exhibitions about all the secret code-breaking during the war are really interesting and the grounds are beautiful. James was fascinated by all of the code-breaking machines and the history of the place. We continued to Stratford and checked in to the Swan’s Nest hotel, a pleasant and very central hotel right beside the river. Dinner was at our favourite, the Rooftop Restaurant at the RSC, and then we went downstairs to watch our play.
The aristocracy in Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard are so frustrating. They don’t want to lose the estate, including the cherry orchard, but they are not willing to do anything at all to save it. There was an extremely strong cast. Kenneth Branagh was energetic as Lopakhin, who tried and failed to motivate the estate owners with practical suggestions but was himself paralysed with indecision when it came to proposing marriage to Varya. Helen Hunt was the feckless matriarch Ranyevskaya and Bill Pullman was her idle brother Gaev. The younger members of the cast were also very good and their characters proved equally as incapable of helping themselves or each other. Michael Elwyn, who is 83, played the aged and loyal retainer, ultimately forgotten by the family, who shuffled around the stage muttering to himself. I really enjoyed it but James said that it’s the second worst play that I have ever taken him to (after Long Day’s Journey into Night!) I reminded him about Waiting for Godot but he said that didn’t count because that time he left at the interval! 
I saw Summerfolk in March this year at the National Theatre, which Gorky wrote as a response to The Cherry Orchard. So it was interesting to compare the two. Chekhov seems to sympathise with the melancholy and fading aristocracy who are losing their heritage and their way of life. However Gorky portrays his bourgeois characters as brash and stupid and unaware that the peasants will soon overthrow them in their turn.
We strolled back across the bridge to our hotel for a drink in the bar on this last night of our holiday. 

Art in the Submarine Base

It was our last day in beautiful Bordeaux and the temperature rose to about 37 degrees in the afternoon! We had breakfast sitting outside a café in the Place de la Comédie which was a great place for people watching. Then we had a stroll around the old town before taking a tram to the Musée Mer Marine in the old harbour area of Bordeaux. It was a great wee museum, all about the history of sea-faring in Bordeaux from pre-historic times through Roman and medieval times to the modern day. It was really interesting, with lots of model boats of different eras which I loved. It was a short but hot walk from there to the Bordeaux Submarine Base (Base Sous-Marine,) built by the Germans during the Second World War, which is now used as an arts venue. The concrete walls are amazingly thick which makes the interior fairly cool, and we watched two projections all around the walls of several huge halls; one was about Matisse and one was about Frida Kahlo. The submarine tanks are still full of seawater, twelve metres deep, so the projections were also reflected in the dark water which was very effective. I was sitting on the concrete floor watching the display when an official came up to me and told me to stand up; he explained that the designated seating area was in the next hall. I was so flustered when I was getting up that I managed to knock my sunglasses irretrievably into the water below. And there they must remain, along with the ghosts of Nazi submarines. The official pointed this out to me rather sternly, which I thought was a bit rich considering that it was at least partly his fault!
By the time we were ready to go back to the hotel I just couldn’t face the twenty minute walk and then tram ride back to the hotel so James very kindly ordered an Uber which was air conditioned and so pleasant, and it delivered us right to the door of the hotel. We had cool drinks in the bar and read our books for a while before heading to the airport for our evening flight to Luton. 

A Day at the Seaside

We caught a morning train to Arcachon. What a lovely little seaside town it is! It’s also very smart and there are posters to warn that topless people (whatever their gender!) will be fined. We had breakfast sitting in the shade outside a café decorated with flowers, then wandered through the market where James bought me a sundress, a beach bag and a towel for the beach. But before swimming in the sea we spontaneously jumped onto a ferry which took us across to the peninsula of Cap Ferret. On the way we got an excellent view of the famous Dune du Pilat; basically a really massive pile of sand. The pretty seaside village of Cap Ferret is even more upmarket than Arcachon, and it has lots of oyster beds on the seashore. We walked along the front and had cake and ice cream at the delightful but expensive Frédélian Restaurant. By this time it was very, very hot, and the sea breeze was like a hot hairdryer. After a refreshing drink beside the pier we caught the ferry back to Arcachon. There was a long queue of day-trippers heading back so there were extra ferries running, which was very helpful. James found himself a bench to sit on and read his book, under the shade of one of the huge, mushroom shaped pine trees that line the promenade in Arcachon. And now arrived the highlight of my day; a swim in the sea! It was very busy in the supervised area of the beach; lots of families with sunshades and towels, but it didn’t matter because there was plenty of room in the sea! The sea was like a warm bath but it was cooler than the air temperature and it was absolutely idyllic swimming about in the gentle waves from the many boats. Eventually I reluctantly left the water and used one of the beach showers to remove most of the salt from my body. I dried off so quickly in the heat that I barely needed my towel! We had dinner in one of the beachfront restaurants, watching the waves lapping in the sand. We caught the 9.05 p.m. train back to Bordeaux, which takes about 50 minutes. By the time we got back to the hotel it was dark and we had showers and went straight to bed, exhausted. 

Back in St Emilion

We visited St Emilion two years ago with Jenn and Russ and it was lovely to be back in this beautiful little village with its steep cobbled streets and many wine shops. It’s really easy to get to by direct train from Bordeaux, which only takes just over half an hour. It’s about one and a half kilometres walk from the train station to the village; We had breakfast in a little café called Le Bouchon before strolling around the streets. James did some wine tasting at Couvent des Jacobins and treated himself to a bottle of red. We decided to return to Bordeaux late afternoon when it was extremely hot so we treated ourselves to a taxi back to the station kindly ordered for us by the proprietor of a café. To our surprise the taxi which arrived was a very smart Tesla whose doors opened up like gull’s wings. We got envious looks when we drew up at the station in it. A mercifully air-conditioned train carried us back to the city in comfort. 
In the evening we sallied forth into the town centre of Bordeaux, a little cooler than during the day. I took off my sandals and joined the many people paddling on the surface of the Water Mirror (Miroir d’Eau.) It’s in front of the Place de la Bourse, and is a large reflecting pool with only 2 cm of water over gigantic granite slabs, which is still very pleasant on the feet. We had a delicious dinner in Place St Pierre and lingered over our coffees in the twilight. As we headed back to catch the tram back to the hotel we could see the Pont de Pierre bridge over the Garonne, lit up against the darkening sky. 

A Hot Day in Bordeaux

We spent most of today walking around Bordeaux revisiting this beautiful city. We had a nice petit déjeuner formule near the station and then headed into the old town. It was hot, hot, hot! However we walked in the shade where we could, and I used both my cooling towel and my cooling neck fan to control my own temperature. James of course was fine; he manages in the heat much better than me. As we walked along the streets we recognised the route through several little squares and along a narrow street, where we used to walk two years ago; our current hotel is not far from our previous one, both are near the station. 
We went to the Bordeaux Museum, which we had already looked around on our first visit two years ago; it was very interesting especially seeing how the city had evolved over the centuries. We walked around the shopping area and had cool drinks in one of the many tree-shaded squares. The buildings are very elegant and there are great big city gates. It is such an attractive city. James purchased 72 hour tram tickets and there is a tram stop just round the corner from our hotel; we can travel to or from the centre of town in about 15 minutes which is really handy. After a late siesta back at the hotel we went to a nearby restaurant for dinner. It’s called “Eat Salad” which sounds like a bit of a command to me! It was simple but tasty. 

Sous la Canicule

After a delightful breakfast on the patio and a morning at the pool we all went into Eymet for lunch. We went to a little creperie in the main square where we had some excellent galettes. The medieval town centre is very beautiful, we visited it two years ago as well. Back at the house we packed up and said our goodbyes to Russ, then Jennifer gave us a lift to Marmande where we said goodbye to her and caught a train into Bordeaux. Jenn and Russ will be leaving France tomorrow after six weeks of holiday, however we’re staying in Bordeaux for a few more days. We had planned lots of day trips but it’s so hot that I think we will need to choose carefully and perhaps have shorter trips. This heat wave is called a “Canicule” in France. La canicule is the French for a heatwave; Cani comes from the Latin for dog, so it is actually similar to the old phrase “dog days of summer.” Apparently this is because the arrival in the night sky of Canis Major, the Dog Star, often heralded hot weather. We checked into our hotel and had dinner before watching the England vs Argentina football World Cup semi-final on television. England scored a goal but Argentina (who seemed to be playing a bit rough!) then scored two goals and soon it was all over; we felt really sorry that England lost. 

Football World Cup and late night swimming

Today was hot in Lot-et-Garonne; 37 degrees. After breakfast of baguette with butter and jam, James went for a walk to Allemans du Dropt and Jennifer and I headed to the pool where we swam, read our books and chatted. 
In the evening we went back to Allemans where the whole village was watching the France v Spain semi-final on a giant screen in the colonnaded village square. There were also food stalls and bars open for the Bastille Day celebrations. Unfortunately for the spectators France lost the match, so their celebrations were rather curtailed; the planned fireworks had already been cancelled because of the current fire risk due to the hot weather. Someone started playing Viva Espana on the big screen and someone else immediately unplugged it! 
We went back to the house and went for a late night swim in the pool. We floated around looking at all of the stars in the clear sky. We saw the Milky Way, lots of constellations, and Star-links shooting across the sky. It was magical. 

Bonjour la France!

We got up nice and early and were in excellent time for our 8.20 flight. Our journey went smoothly and we arrived in Bordeaux where the pilot told us that the temperature is “only” 35 degrees which made the passengers laugh! (This part of France has been very hot recently with temperatures up to 42 degrees!) we jumped straight on a bus from the airport to the station which meant that we had time to have a light lunch in a café opposite the station before catching a train which arrived at Marmande at 3.40 p.m. Jennifer and Russell were there to meet us and whisked us to their beautiful red-roofed farmhouse in Puysserampion. It wasn’t long before I was in their delightfully cool swimming pool, which is surrounded by grass, fig trees and plum trees, with fields of sunflowers and maize all around. Jennifer and I swam around and chatted and drank cool drinks. It was really hot so thank goodness for the pool. Also thank goodness for the air conditioning upstairs which ensured a good night’s sleep for us later. Jennifer and Russell made us a splendid barbecue later. They lit candles all around the patio and had a large fan to keep us cool. We listened to music including Ben’s recently released album which was brilliant, and then a mix of 70s and 80s music which felt very appropriate for the warm summer evening. After the barbecue and a gorgeous cheeseboard, Jennifer produced an amazing and extremely tasty raspberry tart which was the perfect ending to a perfect evening. 

Celebrity farewells

Three very well known people have died recently, all of them in their seventies but before their time. 

Bonnie Tyler died on 8th July (confirmed on 9th) This was sad but she had been very ill in hospital for months so it wasn’t a surprise. We loved seeing her at the Dubai Expo with Ally and Cat and I have always been particularly fond of two of her songs. Firstly “Lost in France” which was released in the hot summer of 1976, just at the beginning of my love affair with France. And secondly of course “Total Eclipse of the Heart” that classic rock anthem from 1983, which had a great video, and to which we all danced in Dubai. 
On Friday 10th there was news of the politician (and one time Strictly Come Dancing contestant) Ann Widdecombe’s death, she was found dead in her home on Thursday. She was elderly (not that elderly; 78) and these things happen. But by later in the day it was reported that she had been murdered by an intruder, which is horrible. One suspect was arrested and released but now someone else has been arrested and no one else is being sought so it looks like they have got him. 
And this morning we heard on the news that the New Zealand actor Sam Neill has died. He was so brilliant in the first Jurassic Park film; brilliant as the paleontologist absolutely bowled over by seeing real dinosaurs. He also had a vineyard in New Zealand, and seemed an all round good guy. One of those strange coincidences is that when we were in Crystal Palace Park yesterday with Ally and Cat, looking at the dinosaurs, Ally mentioned that they have recently been re-watching the Jurassic Park films, and we were talking about the stars; Richard Attenborough, Jeff Goldblum, and of course Sam Neill. 

Brunch and Crystal Palace Park

This morning Cat took us to a new brunch place in Wapping called El & A’s Brunch which had fresh and delicious food. It also had a powerful fan to cool the air, which was very useful because this was another very hot day in London. 
We then travelled to Crystal Palace Park by the overground which was delightfully air-conditioned. James and I have never been to Crystal Palace and it was very interesting; the buildings are long gone but there is still a large, level expanse of ground where they once stood. Ally expertly navigated us on shady tree-lined paths through the large park, we stopped for cool drinks at a wee café and Ally and Cat got brain freeze from drinking slushies! I opted to sit under the shade of a tree while the other three boldly attempted the maze. They quickly got lost and I could hear their voices from time to time as they passed near me behind the hedge which was very funny. They finally emerged and we continued through the park to see the dinosaurs! These life size models of dinosaurs were constructed in Victorian times according to what the scientists in those days thought that dinosaurs looked like. There were information boards which showed how the Victorians had interpreted the bones compared to how modern scientists have interpreted them. (Although who’s to say that we haven’t got it right either!) As a result the dinosaur models in the park, although impressive, are a bit strange looking to us. My favourite was a fat dinosaur lying on its side! 
Back at the flat we had coffee before bidding a fond farewell to Ally and Cat, and heading to Gatwick Airport where we had booked a Travelodge in view of our early start tomorrow morning. Soon we were tucked up in bed with the air conditioning on full blast! 

Lunch, theatre and football in London

A beautiful day in London; not a cloud in the brilliant blue sky. Alasdair and Cat took us for lunch to Murano, a restaurant that Cat knows. It was their (very generous) Christmas present to us. The restaurant was pristine and delightfully cool in this hot weather, and the service was excellent. But the food was the absolute star of the show: it is Italian as you would surmise from the name of the restaurant, and of an extremely high standard. It was also very imaginative; the gazpacho and panzanella that I ordered were unique and gorgeous. For dessert, Cat and I both couldn’t decide between the caramelised lemon tart or the strawberry soufflé so we ordered both and split them! Both were equally delicious. Ally enjoyed his semi-freddo and James his frangipani tart. We had such a lovely time and chatted about anything and everything.

Into the hot streets of London we went, and strolled through Green Park and St James’ Park, both busy with families. We had drinks in a German Beer Cellar before making our way to one of our old favourite haunts; the Globe Theatre. There we saw a really good production of Much Ado about Nothing, which was laugh out loud funny. The best characters were Benedict and Beatrice. 

Then we went back to the flat where we were joined by Andrew to watch the World Cup semi-finals. We sat on their comfy couches with the French windows wide open to the balcony and the Thames beyond as the cooler night air began to come in. It was idyllic. Ally and Cat provided us all with drinks and snacks and it was a fascinating game, full of thrills and tense moments including a goal from Norway that was disallowed. England finally won the game in extra and we were delighted for them. What a perfect day we have had! 

Buddleias in Luton

Yesterday was another very warm day. James and I went into town to have brunch with Gerry and Janis at All Bar One. We had our usual cheery chat about holidays and grandchildren and all the fun of retirement. Back home we finished packing and enjoyed the sunshine with the cats.
What a warm night it was, I opened all of the windows upstairs when we went to bed but it was still really warm. 
In the morning we set off to drive the six and a half hours to Luton Airport (plus stops so it was more like eight hours. It got hotter and hotter as we drove south. We parked the car in the long stay car park and caught a bus to the train station. All around the airport were buddleia with their blue blooms, they are very attractive. The most trying part of the journey was the Luton Express train to St Pancras. It was almost unbearably hot, if there was air conditioning it was overwhelmed by the heat. As was I. So when we arrived at the station we popped into an air conditioned café for an early tea. Pleasantly cooled down we travelled to Ally and Cat’s flat. It was great to see them and we had a cup of tea and a good chat. They had very kindly purchased a large but very quiet fan which kept the spare bedroom nice and cool for us. The sky was a stunning pink and blue as the sun set. 

Gooseberries and baby kicks

Yesterday I took part in my first three children’s hearings as a qualified panel member. It was online so I was worried that the technology wouldn’t work but it was all fine. The other panel members were both supportive and complimentary. My next hearings are in August in Hamilton. I’m pleased to have got started. 
This morning I had brunch with Sue H and we had a great chat. The weather had started grey and cloudy but the sun came out and it became a hot and sunny afternoon. The cats loved us being in the garden and stretched out on the slabs, moving into the shade when they got too hot. I picked lots of gooseberries and washed, topped, tailed and put them in the freezer. 
This evening we went to the quiz night with Davie and Chanel at the Rowantree Inn, where we triumphed, winning by half a point! Even more excitingly Chanel let me put my hand on her tummy and I felt the baby kicking! 

Duxford Air Show and another magnificent barbecue

Yesterday we went to the Duxford Air Show with Mitchell and Gosia. It was a gorgeous day although by the afternoon I was sweltering and had to seek the shade of the beer tent canopy! My hero Gosia brought me a cup of ice cubes which I put in James’ skip cap on top of my head; this cooled me down very effectively. The display was full and lively, mainly of WW1 and WW2 planes. Gosia had brought a lovely picnic which we ate while sitting in deckchairs on the grass. We also went into the museum where we went on Concorde, this was a test Concorde which never carried paying passengers. There were lots of other planes too and James was in his element. It was a great day. We got back to Gosia and Mitchell’s at about 6.30 and they made another fantastic barbecue which we ate in the garden in the warm evening. Mitchell and James drank a bottle of Saint-Emilion 
The England World Cup football game against Mexico was due to start at about 1 a.m. so none of us planned to watch it. However Mitchell was awoken by cheering emanating from their local pub (which isn’t even all that close to their house!) so he couldn’t resist getting up to watch the end of the game. It was worth it because they won 3-2! James and I didn’t hear him getting up and slept through the whole thing. 
In the morning Gosia and Mitchell went to work while James and I had breakfast in their garden, then Mitchell very kindly popped home to give us a lift to the airport. We also heard the happy news that our niece Jenny is engaged to James! They are a very pleasant young couple and we wish them all the happiness. 

English Villages and a magnificent barbecue

4th July
Gosia and Mitchell collected us from our hotel this morning and gave us a brilliant tour of some of the very pretty villages in Essex and Suffolk. 
These are a few of many highlights. We visited a really high and beautifully built railway viaduct at Wakes Colne, constructed of red brick in the 19th century. Needless to say we climbed up into the arches to take hilarious photos! 
Then we had a walk in the tiny village of Kersey in Suffolk, which is stunningly pretty. It has a Norman Church at one end, and a shallow ford right in the middle of the road. The beautiful medieval timbered houses had many huge hollyhocks in their gardens and even sprouting from cracks in the pavements. 
We had coffee at a wee café in Long Melford which has quirky and interesting shops along its high street. 
This was the area that Mitchell grew up in, and he showed us where his parents had a shop right across the road from where they lived in Sybil Headingham. In Little Maplestead, back in Essex, we stopped at St John’s Round Church, one of only four round medieval churches in the UK. It was a joy to behold and quaint on the inside too, with stained glass windows and a wooden beamed ceiling. 
Back in Braintree Gosia and Mitchell made us the barbecue of all barbecues which we consumed in their verdant garden. We had such a great evening in excellent company. 

Farewells and journeys

We packed up and left Ullapool after lunch yesterday. Jamie and Kerry also set off southwards and went into Glasgow to look at wedding rings, and Davie and Chanel are staying on in Ullapool for another few days of holiday. On the way south James and I listened to The Rest is History podcast about Boswell and Dr Johnson; it was very informative and in places very funny. 

We had a nice chat with Jamie and Kerry in the evening and then this morning we had brunch together at Hugh’s in Burnside before bidding them a very fond and wistful farewell when they set off back to New Zealand via Glasgow Airport and Dubai. 

However Jamie and Kerry were not the only ones setting off on a journey! A few hours later we arrived at Glasgow Airport ourselves for our flight to London Stansted. We are going to visit Gosia and Mitchell and go to the Duxford Air Show. Because of our late evening arrival we have booked in to the Radisson Blu at the airport for our first night. It is comfy and has air-conditioning thank goodness. 

By the way I have just finished a biography of Eileen Blair, the wife of writer George Orwell. I realised that the man who towed my car out of a field on Jura in 2024 is the grandson of Robin Fletcher, who rented Barnhill on Jura to George Orwell in the late 1940s when he was writing the book 1984! What a coincidence! 

Otter Spotters

Today was rather a drizzly day on and off but that didn’t keep us indoors; we walked into the village and had a convivial lunch at the Ceilidh Place.
Jamie and Kerry walked up Ullapool Hill and later we all watched the England v Congo football World Cup Game which England won 2 - 1. We had chilli con carne for dinner and then played Sequence. It was a lovely day but the best was yet to come! 
At about 10.30 p.m. Jamie suggested sallying forth into the dusk to see if we could see some otters at the estuary; Cal had told us yesterday that it was the best place to see them. I had already gone up to bed but Chanel knocked on my bedroom door to invite me and I gladly joined the young ones and headed to the estuary. We walked along the edge of the Bull Park and although there were quite a few bats flying around and there were a few ducks nestled on the grass above the riverbank, we couldn’t see any otters. After a while Chanel and I decided to walk back to the cottage and just after we set off, Chanel pointed at the riverbank just across from us. There were two otters splashing in and out of the water! We quickly phoned Jamie and Davie who were close by and we all stood and watched the otters. It was amazing! The otters seemed to be having lots of fun, playing about and running along the riverbank. What a fantastic end to the day, and the first time that I have seen otters in the wild, apart from sea otters floating past the ship in Alaska in 2013.