I become a Duke of Edinburgh Assessor!

Over the last two days of our Qualifying expedition in the Pentlands I have also been undergoing an assessment myself! This is in order to become a D of E assessor. I have already done the online modules and attended a training course, but you also have to do a supported assessment out on the hills. I did the pre-expedition checks, discussed the route with the pupils and leaders, discussed where the pupils would be check pointed, met up with the teams en route, and at the end I debriefed the teams and told them that they had passed the expedition section. I really enjoyed it. And when I had finished, Carolyn (my assessor) said to me "Congratulations Susan, you are now a Duke of Edinburgh Assessor!" I was delighted! The journey back to the west went well and I was home in time for tea. James was in Warwick today and he got in shortly after me. He has just pointed out to me that my face is sunburned, which I find unfair because although it was a fine day it was only sunny for the last hour of walking. It must have been fierce. So now the boys are yet again watching "The Euros" which is the European football championships. David tells me that it is the Eurovision of football! This gives me the opportunity to blog and bath. 

Sleeping on the Baronial floor

I am just settling down for the night on a sleeping mat on the floor of a small hall at Bonaly campsite. Its grand title of "The Baronial Hall" is certainly not appropriate but it does have a sink and an electric socket where we can plug in a kettle. I am not alone; four of my colleagues are scattered around the floor in their sleeping bags, and I know that one of them is reading because I can see her head torch moving about. It has been a long day, but the expedition has gone well. I cannot go into details for reasons of confidentiality but suffice it to say that some pupils walk much slower than others and I can only praise the patience and endurance of my colleagues! We had a good laugh over the pizza that we ordered in for tea. As we walked along on the north side of the Pentland Hills today I had plenty of time to appreciate the beauty of the countryside. There are lots of small reservoirs and hedgerows with lots of flowers beside them. After we rounded the end of the Torduff reservoir we went up a small hill from which we had tremendous views over Edinburgh; the pupils were impressed to be able to see Edinburgh Castle, Arthur's Seat and the Firth of Forth. And so to bed; the floor feels rather hard through my sleeping mat! 

Cycling at Linn of Dee

James and Alison set out early this morning on their long planned walk along the Lairig Gru. Hugh gave them a lift to Loch Morlich and they got started at 8 a.m. Hugh and I then drove round to meet them at the other end if their walk; they were going to walk out at Linn of Dee. We headed for Ballater first; we were driving behind a German tourist bus as we arrived at the picturesque and very steep Gairnshiel Bridge. The bus stopped for a minute as all the tourists jumped out to take pictures and then teetered over the bridge - I really thought it was going to get grounded at the steep bit in the middle and as it went over the back wheels went way up in the air but it made it! I was delighted to go along the road from Tomintoul to Cockbridge for the first time in many years - it is the road that always closes first when Scotland gets snow, and you always hear about it on the radio, my Dad always used to point it out. It is very steep in places but on this verdant early summer's day it was difficult to imagine it deep with snow. We arrived at Ballater and had a look around. There is a brand new Jubilee memorial beside the church; it's a rockery with stones from all the different mountains in the area, and the large central stone is inscribed with the dates 1952 - 2012. There's also a little metal statue with a crown on it. Nearly all the shops had displays of red, white and blue in their windows and there was bunting in the streets. Ballater is so close to Balmoral; it has very strong links with the royal family. Of course they weren't there today - they were all on the royal barge on the Thames in the rain! We had brunch in a nice cafe then went to cycle 5 km from Linn of Dee to Derry Lodge, where we intended to leave the bikes for James and Alison, then walk back. However we set off in the wrong direction from the car park and cycled about 3 km before we asked another cyclist if we were on the right route. He kindly redirected us and we had to cycle back to the car park and then find the right track. When we finally arrived at Derry Lodge (about 5 more km) James and Alison were already arriving. They had made very good time and enjoyed their walk very much; it's the first time either if them has walked the Lairig Gru. They had some hailstones at the top but the weather was mainly good. They had met Carolyn and Euan, who were walking the other way, and had a brief chat with them. We all made our way back to the car; I suggested that Alison and Hugh should use the bikes because Hugh had waited for me very patiently so it was only fair that he should get a proper cycle with Alison. James & I walked back chatting and by ten past four we were heading back to Boat of Garten. A lovely relaxing evening ensued; Alison made us another delicious dinner and then we sat in the lounge talking during the light evening. We saw two buzzards circling above the garden and the nearly full moon rising. A great day. 

A sunny walk from Carrbridge

Today James and I set off up to Boat of Garten to spend the weekend with Alison and Hugh. The traffic was very busy but we weren't seriously held up and we got there in plenty of time for lunch.
In the afternoon we walked a circular route from Carrbridge to Sluggan Bridge, through forests and high green meadows with old juniper bushes. We saw rabbits and heard a cuckoo. The weather was glorious and it got warmer and warmer as the afternoon progressed. We walked 13 km and it took us 3 hours which I think is a good speed considering the heat. I flagged a bit in the middle mainly because I was getting very hot. I drank loads of water and kept needing to go to the toilet! But I got a second wind towards the end and it was a very good walk, with beautiful views across the valley.
Later Alison made us a wonderful dinner. Bruschetta and a mushroom risotto were followed by chocolate fondants which were amazing - when you stuck your spoon into them a delicious chocolate melting middle came oozing out. 

Home from Perthshire

Today's walk went well; the weather was mainly dry although spells of sunshine alternated with hailstones and a chilly breeze. I was sorry that the pupils didn't see Rotmell Loch at its heatwave best - maybe next time. The pupils all did really well but were visibly tired after their second day of walking. Again the views up the valley were beautiful and we saw three deer moving through the woods on the way down the hill. We got back to school in good time. Ally had his first A Level today, in History, and he felt that there was one question which was just right for him and one question that was more tricky. As I write this blog I'm looking out through the French windows at the garden which is bathed in evening sunlight. Before we had the extension built we could only see the garden properly if we were actually in it, and I think that the big windows have made me appreciate it more. 

Camping at Guay

Well not really camping for me because me and my colleagues are in a very nice and brand new lodge while the pupils are camping in the adjacent field! What a difference from the squalor of our rainy weekend in Auchengillan in the autumn. We have also been much luckier with the weather than the forecast predicted and it was dry all day during our walk. We had beautiful views of the Perthshire hills. Carolyn and I did a lot of singing as we walked along! When we got back to the camp site the pupils all made their dinners and the teachers ordered a huge curry which was very enjoyable. John was playing his own taste in music which included a group called "AC Dixie" playing Highway to Hell! I have such happy memories of expeditions to Guay over the years and although I'm enjoying being here now with the team I feel a bit wistful for pupils and colleagues from expeditions past. Such happy times with Susan, Des, Jim and all the pupils from my previous school. However it's also nice to see this new cohort of pupils enjoying their first camping expedition! 

A breath of fresh air

Yesterday I firmly told James that I wanted a lovely day of leisure, but this had the result of making poor James feel cooped up. Although he also relaxed and pottered around a bit, I could tell he was longing to go for a walk; I even found him looking out of the window once or twice, like an animal in a cage. So today we decided to get some fresh air and we set off to Chatelherault Park with Jamie and Davie. Alasdair stayed at home with the intention of studying. I do hope that intention was translated into action; when we left he was still in bed using his laptop but when I suggested that he get up he told me witheringly that he was very busy downloading work from the school website. When we got to Chatelherault we noticed a dad smoking as he walked along with his tiny children; Jamie approached him and told him how damaging smoke is to young developing lungs. Needless to say this didn't go down too well and the angry parents shouted at him and told him to "beat it"! I was half horrified and half extremely proud. Luckily the furious family didn't catch up with us on the walk, probably because their fitness was affected by all that smoking! The rest of the walk was thankfully less eventful; we walked to the green bridge, crossed the river and walked back on the other side. At one point I stopped to admire some beautiful leaves which were an amazing pale gold colour - they actually looked gilded - however I was mocked by my cynical family who thought that I was stopping to catch my breath! By the time we got home Ally was already on his way into town to watch "Sherlock Holmes" with friends. James, David and I thought that this was a splendid idea so we went to see it ourselves at the Quay, and very good it was too, great fun, with Jude Law and particularly Robert Downey Jr. hamming it up excellently. And here we are back home in time for tea, with the evening still ahead of us. How nice it is to be on holiday. 

A Snowy Walk in the Ochils

When James, Davie and I were collected from the Main Street by coach just after nine this morning it was cold and damp, it didn't seem very encouraging weather for our hill-walking club MInce Pies outing. While we stood waiting for the bus a lady walked past and paused to complain to me that she had mistaken the time and would not be able to buy her "carry out" for another hour. She explained that this was inconvenient because she had had her last drink an hour ago. I commiserated with her as best I could. Soon we were on our way and stopped for breakfast in a cafe in Bridge of Allan. There was a good turnout and Heather (from the club, not Heather B) had organised the whole day beautifully; not only had she planned the route and arranged where we would have our refreshments at either end, she had baked reindeer biscuits and made a Christmas cake in the shape of a cottage, the detail on it was amazing. We were then dropped off at Blairlogie at the edge of the Ochil Hills. One group including James and David "took the high road" up to the top of Dumyat, and the rest of us "took the low road" by circumnavigating Dumyat then heading northwards. Both routes converged shortly before arriving at the Sheriffmuir Inn. What an amazing walk! We set off in sunshine; there was a light dusting of snow on the hills and it looked very picturesque. Then it started snowing lightly - even more picturesque, and we opined to each other how we felt as though we were walking along in scenery reminiscent of a Christmas card. Then the sky darkened and the snow got heavier and soon we were struggling along in blizzard conditions, it was a whiteout and became bone-chillingly cold. Lunch took place beneath some trees beside the path - we didn't linger! Later the snow stopped and we crunched along in snow that was at least a couple of inches deep, there was even a little bit of blue sky again. Five different types of weather in one day, that's the joy of walking in the Scottish hills! After about three hours we spied the welcome sight of the white painted Sheriffmuir Inn, standing solitary ahead. We had our Christmas celebration which was great fun; Steven was a brilliant Santa for the second year running - he said he was more relaxed this year because last year he was a "Santa Virgin". All the wee children had a great time and Davie, as the oldest "child"  got a big cheer when he good-naturedly went up for his present! The adults all got presents too as well as mince pies and mulled wine. After a hearty chorus of "Jingle Bells" it was time to get back on the bus; the driver was understandably a bit nervous about the weather conditions. When we got home there was no snow at all, hard to believe after our wintry walk. What a good weekend we have had - a really good evening with Alison and Hugh yesterday and a healthy walk today. And the weekend is not yet over - James and I will shortly be going to a Kate Rusby concert at the concert hall - let's hope we don't get snowed in! 

Chilling out at Corrour

After a convivial evening in Loch Ossian Hostel I decided to move a mattress from the girls' dorm into the living room so that I wouldn't disturb people with my coughing. This worked very well. Miriam warned me that there was a possibility of mice so I put the mattress on one of the benches propped up by three chairs and it was perfectly secure and cosy for the night. I coughed from time to time without nearly choking myself by trying to stifle it and I got a great night's sleep. Cornel very kindly made me a mug of coffee when he got up in the morning. I went outside with my coffee to look at the loch in the light grey morning, it is truly beautiful. After breakfast Miriam and I walked towards Loch Traig; when we were having a coffee near the railway line a white land rover type vehicle went past - on the railway tracks! It must be a maintenance vehicle, they waved to us and tooted their horn. We walked until we could see Loch Traig but didn't go right down to it, we had lovely views of rolling hills with the loch between them. Our walk there and back was about 7 km in total. Back to the hostel; most people were still out walking and I had a lovely sleep for about two hours, then read my book. I have finished "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks", recommended by Lesley, which I thought was really excellent. A lot of the science in it was way beyond my understanding but that didn't spoil it for me, it was still very interesting and very sad in parts. Everybody congregated back at the hostel and soon it was time to put on our head torches for the walk back to the station. It has been a great weekend, despite my cold, with a really nice crowd of people. We took the train back to Bridge of Orchy, said our goodbyes, and we are now heading home in the car. I can't wait to get into a warm bath! 

Loch Ossian Sat 19th November

I am sitting on the jetty at the north east end of Loch Ossian about to eat my sandwich. I am blissfully alone because everyone else is walking on nearby hills, but I decided to walk round the loch (about 10 km round trip). I am now half way and I'm going to read my book (The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks) and relax for a while before I walk back to the hostel. The view down the loch from where I am sitting is really beautiful; there are ripples on the surface of the water and a light breeze but it is very mild weather for 19th November and I'm just wearing walking trousers and a t shirt. And boots of course! The loch is surrounded by bands of pine trees and behind them are the hills; Meall na Leitire Duibhe and Coire Creagach to my left (south) and Beinn na Lap to my right (north). And lots of other hills in the distance. The sky is pale blue with greyish white clouds whose edges are lit by sunlight. It is so peaceful.
The last time I was here was in November 1999 when the whole family climbed Beinn na Lap with the hill-walking club. This was because it was James' last Munro. It was a wonderful occasion and we all made it to the top even though the boys were tiny - Davie had just turned four, Ally was five and Jamie was nine. We had champagne and shortbread on the top to celebrate. We stayed in Loch Ossian Youth Hostel that time too and when we got home we were all very sick except Davie! Tummy bug or food-poisoning.  Let's hope history does not repeat itself!

Loch Ossian Youth Hostel was only the second hostel opened in Scotland, and the building was donated by Sir John Stirling-Maxwell of Pollok, who was a well known worthy gentleman and the Laird of Corrour Estate. The building was originally a boat house, not for boats but for guests on their way to Corrour Hunting Lodge who would wait for the steamer that would ferry them across the loch. The hostel opened on 24th May 1931 and although it has been renovated in 2003 it looks much the same today as in the old photo on the wall of the official opening. It is painted a pleasing dark green with white door and window sills and its setting is truly magnificent, nestling in a grove of pine trees on the edge of Loch Ossian with its own wee wind turbine for electricity. The hostel is comfy and cosy with a large wood-panelled living room containing a wood burning stove and a range cooker. It has two dormitories each for ten people, but in some ways it is quite simple - no fridge and very basic outdoor toilets. The toilets are in a hut outside and are compostable and non-flush; not great but they're still an improvement over the buckets they had in 1999! Yes, just buckets with disinfectant  in them and a plastic toilet seat on top. Dreadful.
Twelve years later we are back again with the hill-walking club. We drove up last night after work and caught the 8.40 p.m. train from Bridge of Orchy to Corrour. Then we put on our head torches and walked the mile to the hostel through the pitch dark and teeming rain. The nearest road ending is ten miles away at Rannoch so the walk from Corrour Station is the only way to get there. Us city folk are not used to such a complete lack of light and we were glad to see the welcoming lights of the hostel ahead. Some of the group were already there; there are fifteen of us this weekend and they are a really nice crowd some of whom we have known for a long time now. James is a stalwart of the club and the boys go on a lot of walks too, so they have grown up with the other children whose parents are members. Hill-walking with James and his friends has been a great experience for the boys and they all have a love of the hills. When I go along for a day trip or a weekend I am always made to feel very welcome. We had a pleasant evening, however I didn't sleep well because I have a cold and I know I must have disturbed some of the other girls by coughing although they were all very nice about it. After a hearty breakfast we all went on our different walks and will meet up later back at the hostel. 

Yes to Walk but No to Yes

A great weekend so far! Last night I had the Duke of Edinburgh team round for dinner with their spouses / partners to say thank you for all their hard work especially during the recent very wet expedition weekend. The meal went well and I think a good night was had by all, there were twelve of us in total and we had a good laugh; I am lucky to have such a brilliant team.
Today James persuaded me to walk a bit more of the Ayrshire Coastal Path, it was a good idea because it was a beautiful day; blue skies and unseasonably warm. We set off from Barassie and walked along the beach to Irvine, a very pleasant beach walk, sandy all the way with blue foamy waves lapping at our boots. We thought that this was where a previous walk at Christmas 2009 had started (because we are doing the Ayrshire coastal path bit by bit so James is marking off in his book what we still have to do). However we realised that it had started at Stevenston, further along the coast. Rather than leave this section to another day we decided to press on. The route left the coast and went up though the harbour area of Irvine, which was very pretty in the sunshine with nicely renovated houses. We passed a statue of a carter and Clydesdale horse which was very pleasing, there used to be many carters in the area who hauled coal down to the docks. From there we continued inland to Kilwinning, passing through woodland and the Garnock Floods, which is moorland. We then turned towards Stevenston, going along country roads. On the outskirts of Stevenston we saw nine deer grazing in fields, they were beautiful. We finally arrived at Stevenston station after walking 17 km, and I was flagging by this time after my late night last night! However I was really glad that we had done the walk, we had a lovely chat on the way and I decided that today is the official start of my quest for fitness! We got a taxi back to our car at Barassie and picked up fish suppers on the way home.
James and Ally went to the Yes concert this evening; I really don't enjoy their music and after the last gruelling concert I went to I told James that I wouldn't be back and he would have to take one of the boys instead. So Ally bravely went and claims that he enjoyed it, but he is maybe just being nice to his old Dad! Davie and I had a relaxing evening; I watched a film called "A little bit of Heaven" starring Kate Hudson, I enjoyed it although it was quite sad. When James arrived home he brought me a really gorgeous tie dyed Yes t shirt; I was delighted. 

More Ayrshire Coastal Walking

James and I had a great day today walking from Glenapp to Ballantrae, another section of the Ayr Coastal Path. The walk was 14 km with about 300 metres of ascent and I found it very easy and pleasant. This was certainly not due to the drizzly weather although it did stop raining for an hour in the middle of the walk. I think it had more to do with the convivial company of the SP hill-walking club. There were nineteen of us who met up for a coffee and a scone at the garden centre in Ballantrae before getting a bus to Glenapp. They are such a friendly crowd; some of them I have now known for about twenty years ever since James started hill-walking with them, and some are relative newcomers who have only been coming along for a year or so. The number and people who attend varies with each outing, but there are always agreeable people to chat with on the walk. Today I was talking to lots of people; Steven has recently received an award for bravery, he saved a woman from a frozen reservoir. I was very impressed. When we had lunch we saw some sheep struggling to cross a stream and Norrie said "Steven, that one needs mouth to mouth!" which I thought was very funny. I was also taking to Gwen, Diane and Hilary among others. At the end of our walk we had a drink at Souter Johnnie's Inn at Kirkoswald, it was really nice and we sat beside the roaring fire. We phoned ahead to ask Davie to make the tea and arrived home a stylish three minutes before Grandma arrived! David's meatballs with tomato sauce were delicious, I was a bit worried about James' Mum because i didn't think she looked very well; she has promised to phone the doctor tomorrow. We have just had a family argument about the difference between marriage and civil partnership; James and Ally think there is a difference and Davie and I don't. At time of going to press the disagreement remains unresolved! 

A walk from A to B (Ayr to Barassie)

It was a beautiful sunny day today, and James and I decided to complete another section of the Ayrshire Coastal Path, an ongoing project of ours. We left the car at Ayr Station and walked through the quite attractive centre and then the industrial harbour areas of Ayr to the coast. Then we set off northwards following the marked trail. Just to be on the safe side we had with us printed maps from Memory map, the Ayr Coastal Path Guide Book and James had his GPS!  It was easy walking; seaside promenades and sandy beaches. All the way we had lovely views across the Firth of Clyde, and we passed several golf courses, of which there are many in this area. When we reached Prestwick we stopped to have a cup of coffee from the flask that James had prepared and some digestive biscuits; this gave me a new lease of life and we walked briskly onwards to Troon, pausing from time to time to look at planes taking off from Prestwick airport including two Hawks, which James thought were there to refuel. We saw lots of seagulls and shiny sea coal on the beach. When we reached the river just south of Royal Troon golf club, we realised that we should have turned off the path earlier to use a bridge to cross it. But rather than retrace our steps I decided to lead the way in wading across. Oh dear! Despite taking off my climbing boots and socks and hanging them round my neck, and rolling up my trousers, the middle of the river was deeper than I thought and I was soon soaked - to the waist! And so we had to set off back to the bridge after all! Luckily the gentle breeze mostly dried my trousers while we walked, although my underwear remained distinctly damp for the rest of the outing.

We had a light lunch at our old favourite, the Venice Cafe in Troon, which was very nice, then we walked on a couple of kilometres to Barassie train station, where we didn't have long to wait for a train back to Ayr. In total we had walked about 15 km. I was amazed at how long it seemed by train from Barassie back to Ayr, I could hardly believe that we had walked all that distance. I was pleased by this walk, it added an element of virtuous but pleasant exercise into a very enjoyable holiday weekend. 

I then had a lovely bath, put on dry clothing, and James has promised me a curry later! 

Visiting the Ospreys

We awoke to a rainy day in Boat of Garten; in fact the rain there was light compared to some other parts of Scotland which were being lashed with torrential rain. We all went to the Rothiemurchus Estate where we went clay pigeon shooting. This was a first time experience for me and it was great fun. We got expert instruction from Hugh, who is an expert marksman. Alison sportingly pressed the button to make the clays fly out when Hugh said "Pull!"; I say sportingly because she doesn't enjoy shooting but still goes along on a regular basis to send up the clays for Hugh. Every place that we shot from was a bit different, which made it interesting. For example in some places the clay was projected upwards, in some across the way, all at different speeds and trajectories. With Hugh's patient coaching James and I both managed to hit the clays some of the time - one or two out of five shots - which we were quite pleased with, as novices. The last place we shot from was called "rabbits" because the clay was fired out across the ground and rolled and bounced along at the speed of a rabbit. I really enjoyed it; I would never ever want to shoot a real creature and I have never allowed the boys even to have toy guns (although they made their own out of lego or tree branches!) however this was like developing a skill and challenging yourself to improve. 

Back to the cottage for lunch then we went for a walk in the rain to the Osprey Centre at Loch Garten. It was a forty-five minute walk each way and we got pretty wet, but it was nice to get a walk and lovely to revisit the Osprey Centre. When I was walking up the slope to the visitor centre (a bit behind the others because I had just visited the toilet), a girl on a bicycle stopped beside me to photograph some mushrooms. She is one of the volunteers from the centre and she told me that it is called the Devil's Tooth fungus and it is quite rare. It is edible but has a very peppery taste. I wish I knew all about the things I see on walks like she does, it's so fascinating. There are two Osprey chicks this year called Tore and Boyack, they hatched in May and can now fly. Their Mum EJ was sitting up on a branch and looked rather cross about the wet weather, she kept having to shake her head to get rid of the raindrops! We saw lots of other birds such a blue tits, bullfinches, greenfinches, and a woodpecker. We also saw a red squirrel and even a wee vole scurrying about under a tree. Back at the cottage (where there are also a huge variety of birds at Alison and Hugh's bird feeder) we had coffee and a chat then we said our farewells and set off home. It has been a really lovely weekend. 

Walking (and falling down) at Boat of Garten

We are having a lovely weekend at Alison and Hugh's cottage in Boat of Garten. We having been coming here for about five years and their gorgeous cottage is in a beautiful setting with lots of things to do and see nearby including many walking and cycling routes. We arrived last night in time for a delicious dinner cooked by Alison - smoked haddock pate, chicken with green pepper sauce, followed by white chocolate mousse - mmmm! Today James and Alison set off on their planned route - from the ski centre road to the Chalamain Gap, then up to the summit of the Laraig Gru and back to Loch Morlich via Rothiemurchus Lodge. Most of this is rough going for 18 km. It took them six hours and they very much enjoyed it despite being plagued by midges! Meanwhile Hugh and I decided to go on a low level walk from near the Rothiemurchus Visitor Centre round Loch an Eilean then west to the old logging road and back to Rothiemurchus. It was a very pleasant walk with lovely views of Cairngorm and other mountains and it took us three hours. There were quite a few other people walking or cycling, the weather was very warm. Hugh worked out the distance later and it was 13 km, which I was very pleased with! We went back to the cottage for lunch before picking up James and Alison at four o'clock, then we all went for coffee and scones to the visitor centre. I phoned home to check up on the boys and to remind them that they had been invited to Grandma's for tea. They were fine and told me that Grandma has invited Andrew too! Alison, Hugh, James and I walked the 3 km into Boat of Garten for dinner at Anderson's restaurant, a great treat which we usually visit each year. As usual the food was absolutely excellent, I had a very unusual terrine - duck, cherry and hazelnut - which was very good, then smoked haddock and pea risotto. We had a good chat and a laugh. When we came out of the restaurant it was raining and quite dark once we left Boat of Garten, although James and Hugh had torches which helped! As we approached the cottage there was a car coming, I stepped onto the verge and caught my foot in a wee ditch and took a tumble, I was rolling about the verge and the others told me that the car slowed almost to a halt, the driver must have wondered what on earth had happened! I found it very funny and although I was wet I was fine! The others pointed out that I was the one who fell even though I was the only one who wasn't drinking! (I stopped drinking alcohol in November 2010.) Back to the cottage for drinks and chat, an excellent day. 

James and I have an adventure

After a pleasant day on Saturday doing shopping, housework and cooking, culminating in Janet and Peter coming for dinner and a really nice evening, James decided that it would be a good idea for us to take some exercise today. This took the form of a walk and after some thought James lighted on the idea of taking the train to Larkhall and walking from there into Chatelherault Country Park. And so we set off by train. I was a bit preoccupied because I hadn't heard from Jamie for a week even though I have sent him a few emails, and I was wondering if he was ok. James suggested that I send him a text (Jamie doesn't like this because it hikes up his phone bills), and when we were on the train to Larkhall I got a reply (from someone else's phone because his provider is not allowing him to send texts), assuring me that he is all right and in fact is now in Melbourne! This cheered me up immensely. James had printed off maps from his Memory Map software and we set off from Larkhall station towards Millheugh through very pleasant roads and lanes. We crossed the river and climbed a very overgrown path up towards the park, which we entered from its southern end. Soon we were in familiar territory as we made our way to Chatelherault, which has been one of our haunts for many years. We had lunch there and I was very glad that we could eat outside in the courtyard because I was very hot! The day was very warm and although not in the league of Kakadu it doesn't take much for me to overheat! Then we continued on our merry way out of the park and into Hamilton where we got a train back to Cambuslang. It was a goodly walk - eight and a half km - and we chatted about all sorts of things on the way, it was great.
Meanwhile Alasdair was on his way north from Oxford by bus, he was not impressed with the gruelling nine hour journey and was a bit grumpy when I collected him from the bus station. Grandma came round for tea, as she does every Sunday, and Ally was telling us about his adventures in London; Jennifer and Russell have been very good to him. In addition to arranging his work experience, which he found extremely interesting, they were very hospitable to him and Jennifer even collected him late last night from the London bus stop when he had been at a barbecue with friends in London, as well as taking him to the bus station in Oxford today. They have taken good care of him and made him feel very welcome.
Finally I must record something that David said to me this week that I found very amusing. On one of the warm days I was wearing a very short sun dress and I noticed Davie looking at me disapprovingly. I said, "Don't you think it's appropriate for the weather?" to which he replied "I don't think it's appropriate, full stop!" 

Up the Whangie

It's a holiday weekend and I have been having a lovely time. On Friday I went into town and had lunch with Jackie in Wagamama, I had a curry of vegetables fried in panko breadcrumbs and it was absolutely delicious. We had a really nice chat and a coffee, then I headed up to Great Western Road and went to a few shops and got some shopping in Waitrose - I felt as if I was out to play! In the evening we all went to see Pirates of the Caribbean 4 - On Stranger Tides. It was at the Imax in 3D and we took Kyle with us. It was a decent enough film but as the fourth in the series it has lost its novelty and was very like the others, the 3D didn't make much difference. I thought the first one was absolutely brilliant when it came out because it was new and exciting. It was all good fun, it's nice to go to the cinema. On Saturday James and I collected Ewan (Heather is away on a walking weekend) and we went for a walk in the Botanic Gardens. I was impressed by Ewan's speed and skill on his crutches. As we walked along looking at the plants James put his hand in his pocket and found that there was a bee in it which promptly stung him! The weather was very mixed, as it has been all week, and sunshine alternated with sudden showers. We were lucky on our walk and it stayed dry until we arrived at Oran Mor for our lunch. The meal was very pleasant, nice pub food, and afterwards we crossed back over the road to have a look round the Kibble Palace before heading home. Today James persuaded me to go for a walk at Auchengillan and we walked the second half of my upcoming Duke of Edinburgh expedition. Just as well we did because there are new deer fences and tree plantations below the Whangie which mean that we will have to change the route a bit. It's good practice for a walking leader to walk the route shortly before the expedition and I'm glad I did! The strangest thing about the walk was that despite sixty-three mile an hour winds (I heard it on the news later), and driving rain (some of the time) I felt full of energy and thoroughly enjoyed myself. In fact I don't know when I last enjoyed a walk so much. The rocks at the Whangie were spectacular - when we eventually found them! They were a bit further along than we expected and James kept looking at small outcrops and saying "I'm sure it's bigger than this!" We had a good laugh and a chat - unusual on a walk since I am usually too stressed and exhausted to chat much! James asked me in deceptively innocent tones if I prefer the Douwe Egberts coffee that I buy to cheaper brands. I answered that I do prefer the flavour, at which James gleefully informed me that for the past two weeks I have been drinking Morrisons own brand coffee, with which he has refilled the Douwe Egberts jar! How crafty he is! 

Cafe Kisimul Curry

Yesterday was our last day in Barra and it was a good one. Not as sunny as the day before but dry, James, Ewan, Heather and David climbed Beinn Heabhal in the morning. David described it as an "epic" climb and they walked up from Halaman Bay. David thought he heard a pheasant but James told him that it was a digger lifting metal, Davie was then delighted when they saw that it really was a pheasant! David also stepped in a really deep puddle beside a gate but took it in good part. Meanwhile Andrew and Alasdair were studying while Jennifer and I went into Castlebay where we did a small amount of shopping and had coffee and a chat, my lovely god-daughter is very pleasant company. I collected our hill walkers from Castlebay and we all had lunch in our cottage. The highlight of the afternoon for me was a great walk with Heather from the cottages to Northbay, which is five miles. We saw the well known (in Barra!) rock formation which resembles Queen Victoria's nose! It was really good fun and James and Ewan came and collected us by car at five o'clock. This left plenty of time for a luxurious bath before tea. We went to the Cafe Kisimul for an Indian meal. It was a lovely curry, we enjoyed the scallop pakora that we had for starters. A fitting celebration for the end of a great holiday, I have enjoyed the mixture of exercise and relaxation and the company has been excellent.

Eriskay Heights

The weather was absolutely beautiful again today and we all set off by ferry at 11.10 across the Sound of Barra to Eriskay. Lovely views of many islands on the 40 minute crossing, it was warm enough to stand on deck and look at all the different blues of the sea, with violet patches where there are seaweed covered rocks beneath. The ferryman was so friendly that when I asked him if there was a coffee machine for Ally he went and made him a coffee! On our arrival we went for a drink to Am Politician Pub and Ewan and James were allowed to see and hold two bottles of the original whisky from the wreck in 1941 that inspired Compton Mackenzie to write Whisky Galore. Then we crossed the causeway to South Uist where we had a delicious lunch at the Polochar Inn. I had Barra hand dived scallops for my main course - yummy. Back to Eriskay and all eight of us climbed Beinn Sciathan. My tummy was very full and I burped scallopy burps all the way up! At 600 feet I found it challenging but feasible, I was delighted to get to the summit at about the same time as everyone else. I wonder if my fitness has improved a little after this active holiday - if so I want to keep it up. I have been having some chats about fitness with Heather and she has given me some good advice. The "jungens" - Ewan told us that is the German for young people, because I feel that at 17 and 15 it doesn't seem quite right to call them children - were great, all of them so fit and very happy to be out walking. It's really nice that they get on so well. After our descent and a quick visit to St Michael's Church with its lovely ship's prow altar, it was back to Am Politician for another drink before heading back to Barra on the 6.30 ferry. I think we were all tired from the walk and all the sunshine and fresh air. We popped round to the Isle of Barra hotel for a very nice meal then back to Heather and Ewan's cottage for a pleasant chat, we were listening to Heather's iphone music on James' speaker. When we went to bed we were virtuously exhausted after our great day. 

Barra Lamb

The weather today lived up to the forecast of being grey and damp. However the rain stayed off so we could get out and about. In the morning James and I went for a walk with Heather and Ewan north from the cottage to a wee graveyard on the headland, then onwards to a sandy beach before heading back to the cottage via the road. The sea was amazing. Big waves were crashing in on the rocks all along the west coast of Barra. Because of the grey skies the sea was a dark blue-grey colour, but still with the lighter greener blue at the top of each wave as it curled over and crashed down. Where the waves hit rocks there were large plumes of spray shooting up, and where they came down on the sand of the beach they rushed forward in large curves, trailing foam like the lace on a bridal train as they retreated. We also saw lots of lovely little lambs in the field with their mummies. They were so sweet, peering at us from the safety of their mum's side while the mummy sheep bravely and protectively took a step towards us as if to try to face us down. We were careful not to head straight for them but if we got too close they would all scarper, not so brave after all! As it is spring we have seen lots of little lambs on our travels round the island and they are gorgeous. Heather has a particular fondness for baby lambs I have noticed. However according the menu in the Cafe Kisimul, their curries can be made either with chicken or with local speciality - Barra lamb! Oh dear. Now I don't want to be hypocritical because I do eat lamb and in fact we had lamb shanks for tea tonight, but I just don't think I can eat any of the local lamb, not when I have seen their cuteness all week. So on Friday night it will be chicken for me!