June is bustin' out all over!

I did a bit of driving around today as I had meetings in different schools, and despite the grey skies I enjoyed the lush greenery of summer. Every hedge and tree is bursting with leaves, and the temperature is pleasant, with the chill of winter long gone. I'm sure that I have already said that I love this time of year with all the promise of summer ahead. I was passing near home at lunch time so I popped in and made myself a sandwich. Jack was so excited when he heard me come in that he ran downstairs and skidded on the wooden floor of the hall. When we went to look at his bowl Jack and I were both shocked to find that it was empty so I remedied this immediately! Meanwhile David enjoyed his first day of timetabled classes, and told me on the way home in the car that he really likes the school. It is a big change for him and I so hope it is a good move. Later on David and I went round to see Grandma and to put in her eye drops - another four weeks of eye drops to go! She is in a jolly mood and was talking about holidays which is always a good sign that her spirits are high. 

I get an interesting bruise

This has been a very busy day and a very important one for Grandma and Davie. At 6.30 a.m. James took his Mum to Ross Hall to get her second cataract operation; she was very upbeat about it and keen to get it over with. All went well and when we went round to see her tonight she was very happy. Today was also David's first day at his new school which is also my school! He was nervous but brave and I ran in to school when we arrived to purchase a school tie for him. I kept an eye on him from a distance during the day and he coped really well with his induction, which consisted of a series of seminars about health and well-being as well as advice and information about 5th year. At lunch time I saw him sitting with a group of boys; I strolled past subtly and he told me later that one of the boys said "Why has Mrs Anderson walked past us and looked at us twice?" David may not know many pupils yet but he knows plenty of staff both in my department and the staff who were in Paris with us last year, so all day teachers were asking him how he was getting on! He will start his proper timetable tomorrow.
Meanwhile I have noticed a large bruise on my upper arm, painful to the touch. I was very intrigued by this and my imagination was running riot as to the cause - I couldn't remember hurting myself and I wondered if it might be blood poisoning from an insect bite. Then the penny dropped - it is a bruise from the rifle when I was clay pigeon shooting! I must have been holding the rifle a bit wrongly, through my own stupidity because Hugh gave us excellent tuition. I must have held the rifle butt more against my arm that against my shoulder. It didn't hurt at the time but has produced a spectacular bruise.
This evening I went back up to school; this time with James. We went to the 5th year parents open evening and found it interesting and informative. I was trying to see the school from James' point of view as a parent, and I think it's pretty impressive. 

Jubilee!

The Queen's Diamond Jubilee culminated today in a Church Service, a carriage ride, and an appearance by the Royal family on the balcony at Buckingham Palace when there was a fly past by various aircraft including the Red Arrows. The Queen was accompanied to St Paul's Cathedral for the service by a lady in waiting because Prince Philip is still in hospital, which was quite sad. We watched bits of the celebrations on television including highlights of the river pageant on Sunday as well as sitting out in the garden because it was warm and sunny for most of the day. A highlight for me was seeing all the people streaming down the Mall towards Buckingham Palace. The Royal family are so much a part of this country and the Queen has worked so hard all her life. I don't think anyone is better than anyone else just because they are born royal but I think Britain would be poorer without having a royal family. In the afternoon about twenty of Ally's friends came round for a Jubilee party! They had a barbecue in the garden and all turned up looking very smart wearing red, white and blue clothes. Cat looked gorgeous in a Union Jack dress and had brought cupcakes that she had made and decorated herself with little Union Jack flags. One of Ally's friends had brought him a Jubilee teapot and he was absolutely thrilled. It was a very jolly party; they are a really nice bunch of young people and they spent the afternoon eating, drinking and even some dancing! Jack quite enjoyed their company and went into the garden to socialise with them. Luckily the weather stayed dry until about five and they all sat out in the garden and went on the trampoline.
In the evening Grandma took us out for dinner to Fratelli's and we had a pleasant meal together. And so ends the jubilee weekend. 

A thousand beacons

Today we went clay pigeon shooting at Rothiemurchus. I have no talent for this but I do enjoy it, and I found that when I listened carefully to Hugh's expert instructions I had some small success. We then went for a circular walk from Coylumbridge south through the forest; we had great views of the Cairngorms.
In the afternoon we visited the Osprey RSPB centre at Loch Garten. We have visited it many times over the years and it's always nice to be back. This year there are three chicks to EJ and Odin, and we could see them in their nest via binoculars and the camera above the nest. We could also see two woodpeckers and some chaffinches at the bird feeders outside the hide. As we walked along the shore of Loch Garten Alison spotted a sandpiper sitting on a branch beside the water.
Later we went out for a meal to another favourite place; Andersons Restaurant in Boat of Garten. The meal was absolutely delicious; Alison, Hugh and James told me that their steaks were wonderful but I felt that I won the jackpot with my fish tagine, which was really special. We finished off sampling the homemade ice creams, of which we all felt that the black treacle ice cream was the winner! We said our goodbyes to Alison and Hugh after dinner and set off for home just before nine; it was still light for most of the journey and we made very good time because the roads were quiet - two and a quarter hours. On the way we could see beacons on some hills above Perth and Dumyat in the Ochils; these were some of the thousand beacons that have been lit the length of the country to celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. When we got home we watched a few highlights of this evening's concert outside Buckingham Palace; it looked amazing, especially Madness singing "Our House" from the roof of Buckingham Palace as pictures of houses with people celebrating were projected onto the facade. Paul McCartney was also good, singing a medley of songs. Prince Charles actually made a decent job of his speech at the end, paying tribute to his mother and also his father who has been taken to hospital unwell with a bladder infection - probably he caught a chill when he was standing on the Royal Barge yesterday, because we saw some of the footage and it had been was lashing with rain! We have recorded the concert to watch later this week, so headed off to bed, pleasantly tired by a weekend of fresh air, exercise, and great food. 

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. 

Jubilee Weekend Dessert

We went over to Heather and Ewan's for our dinner tonight and had a lovely evening with a delicious meal - stuffed aubergines, a gorgeous Portuguese stew, and a red, white and blue Jubilee dessert that was so attractive; a cream covered trifle decorated with raspberries and blueberries. It also tasted great! This got me thinking about the Diamond Jubilee weekend ahead; it really is a very historic occasion. The Queen is the second longest serving monarch of Great Britain ever, only Queen Victoria has reigned longer (63 years). My Mum used to tell me that my grandmother bought her first television in 1953 so that her family could watch the coronation. On Sunday there will be a flotilla of 1000 boats going along the Thames with the Queen on the Royal Barge. Then on Monday there will be a Jubilee concert at Buckingham Palace and on Tuesday a service of thanksgiving at St Paul's. I have to admit I quite like all this pageantry, it is like a link back in time to Royal celebrations of over a thousand years.