More Coronation fun

London always has new experiences for us and on Sunday our young Londoners Ally and Cat took us to wander around Brick Lane and Spitalfields Market, the first time that we have visited these vibrant areas. There were stalls selling just about anything that you could possibly wish for, and a vintage clothes market which was fascinating. We had a delicious brunch in The Breakfast Place, and went to browse around Eataly, a huge Italian delicatessen which I loved. I have never seen so much Italian produce in one place outside Italy! Ally and Cat headed back to do some work at their flat and James and I went in to Piccadilly to get my bracelet adjusted, and bought macarons which we ate sitting in the sunshine with coffee in the courtyard outside the Royal Academy of Arts. Blissful. James and I then walked through Hyde Park all the way to Notting Hill, which took just over an hour, and had drinks in a nice wee wine bar. Ally and Cat joined us for dinner in a great wee restaurant in Notting Hill called The Tartine. I had a three-cheese and pear risotto which was really wonderful. 

This morning James and I went to the David Hockney immersive exhibition at the Lightroom near King’s Cross. It was very interesting and colourful, as Hockney in a voiceover explained his aims and techniques as he experimented with different perspectives. It was a bank holiday Monday, so lots of parents had decided to bring their young children along. I don’t object to this; we took our boys to all sorts of museums and art galleries when they were wee, but oh boy some of those children today were feral! Later we popped round to Ally and Cat’s flat. What a difference! Their kitchen is nearly fully installed and it looks brilliant; I love the colour of blue that they have chosen for their units. There’s still quite a bit of work to do but it is going to be fantastic. Ally and Cat then took us to the Coronation Big Lunch in St Dunstan's Churchyard in Stepney in the sunshine. It’s only about 15 minutes walk from their flat. As well as lunch in the churchyard, suitably decorated with bunting and Union Jack flags, there were childrens’ races, an enthusiastic local brass band, and a dog show. The dog show was hilarious. As well as obedience and performing tricks categories, there was a category for pet that looks most like its owner. A grey haired man accompanied a dog with curly grey hair. A lady with long red hair in plaits accompanied a long-eared spaniel. The winner was a toddler with her hair in two little bobbles on top of her head who accompanied a Yorkshire terrier with the same hairstyle. The worthy winner of the final and most popular category - fancy-dress - was an Italian Spinoni wearing a very regal crocheted cape and crown. I’m making it sound like Crufts but in fact the same eight or so dogs competed in every category! After a look around the interior of 10th century St Dunstan’s Church, and a chat with a local historian who recommended some upcoming historical lectures to Ally and Cat, James and I headed to Paternoster Square to meet Neil for a drink. Ally and Cat went back to their flat to do some painting, and then met us and Andrew at La Figa restaurant in Limehouse for a slap up traditional Italian dinner. We had a lovely evening; great chat in great company. Andrew and Ally are so funny together; when Ally told Andrew that he and Cat had passed famous Limehouse resident Sir Ian McKellen in the street the previous night, Andrew responded “No!” in just the right tone of awe that Ally was hoping for! 

Coronation

The Coronation weekend started splendidly when on Friday afternoon I met up with Jennifer for birthday drinks (it was the day after her birthday.) We met in Covent Garden which was Coronation themed with much Union Jack bunting, and it was an attractive setting to laugh and chat. We met James and Cat for dinner before going to see Sheridan Smith playing Shirley Valentine at the Duke of York’s Theatre. I hadn’t realised that it was originally a one woman show (the film starring Pauline Collins includes all of the other characters) and Sheridan Smith did a magnificent job, she brought the story to life and had the audience spell-bound. She really is very talented. 

Today was of course Charles’ big day and we got thoroughly soaked in Hyde Park while watching the ceremony on the big screens there. With remarkable stamina, Ally arrived straight from the airport to join us. He had been wine-tasting with some of his clients in Bordeaux for the previous couple of days but nothing was going to stop him from celebrating the Coronation! Cat, Andrew and Iain were also there and we were a jolly if increasingly damp group. The atmosphere in Hyde Park was really good, we all cheered when Charles was crowned. I didn’t swear allegiance to him though when invited to do so by the Archbishop of Canterbury. I am pro monarchy but I’m not some sort of medieval serf! When the others headed for the Mall to watch the fly past I took myself back to the hotel to change out of my wet clothes and have a bath. It took ages to get out of Hyde Park because of the sheer volume of people. My timing was very good; I switched on the television in our hotel room just in time to see the Royal family coming out on to the balcony to wave to the crowds. Later we had a truly delicious curry with Ally and Cat at Mala at Canary Wharf; this will definitely be our go-to curry place when we are visiting Ally and Cat. 

Two plays

On Wednesday evening James and I went to the King’s Theatre with Gordon, to see The Mousetrap. This renowned old play based on an Agatha Christie murder mystery has now been running in London and on various tours for 70 years, and yet I have never seen it until now. It’s a lovely period piece, like a little snapshot of the early 20th century. I didn’t guess who dunnit and I won’t reveal who it was; at the end one of the actors entreated us not to spoil the surprise for others. So sweet. Our seats were up in the gods, the only ones I could get because it was nearly sold out, and it was very hot up there! At the interval lots of people were quaffing water that was thoughtfully provided in large dispensers in the bar. When we were having dinner beforehand James and Gordon were reminiscing about the first time they saw the play, which was fifty years ago, on a school trip to London. They both denied that they had been in short trousers at the time! It was a really good evening. 
On Thursday I went to Play, Pie and a Pint at Oran Mor with Ally W. It was about the history of anti-nuclear campaigning in Scotland and oh dear oh dear, it tipped way over from interesting to preachy and very one-sided. The protestors were saintly and the police and anyone with other opinions were buffoons. It was written and directed by Dave Anderson who I spotted in the choir singing protest songs in the background. The songs were the best bit. After the performance Ally and I treated ourselves to coffee and cake and a jolly good chat at a nearby tearoom. 

Benches

On Wednesday morning we had breakfast sitting outside the cottage in Ullapool on our new wee love seat with its built in table. It’s so cute! It was very warm and sunny, the loch was sparkling in the sunshine and there was not a cloud in the sky. The cats love it when we’re outdoors so they were strolling around us, chasing bees and running up and down the steps. Tom is much more adventurous and we suspect that he drinks out of the wee stream down the path to the river, a new experience for him. Flora stays closer to home but was clearly enjoying herself, rolling onto her back on the patio. Her fur is so lush compared to Tom’s sleek pelt, when she rolls over she looks as fluffy underneath as an angora rabbit. 

James and Hugh went to a greenwood wood-working day on Thursday near Forres; they each hand-carved a bench using traditional tools. Meanwhile Alison and I went for a fantastic spa day at the Golf View Hotel in Nairn. We went there years ago, and it is even better now, with new spa rooms. I had a facial and Alison thought that my skin looked glowing afterwards. When we got back to the house James and Hugh had already arrived home; their benches look great! They are a really good size and sturdy too; the legs are made of oak and the top is made of Douglas Fir. James’ bench is now in pride of place on the patio in Ullapool. 

Warming Up

Today was beautifully sunny. And more than that, it was very warm. Not just a bit warm, the way it has been recently, when there has been a bit of a chilly breeze even when it has been sunny. Last weekend in Glen Shiel (the Easter hill-walking weekend with the club) the weather was brilliant, but when it rained on Easter Monday it fell as snow high up on the mountains which shows that it was still cold up there. This warmth today feels as if the season has finally moved on to proper Springtime. 

Speaking of last weekend, we had a really good time on the hill-walking club expedition to Glen Shiel. Ally and Cat were there, staying in the Ratagan Hostel, and joined us for dinner each evening in the Cluanie Inn where the rest of us were staying. The Cluanie Inn has had a mixed reputation over the years, however it has recently been taken over by new owners and was very clean and comfortable. The other attendees were Willie, Cornel, Justin, Tom and Jean, and we had a very pleasant time comparing adventures each evening. Many mountains were climbed but not by me. I headed to Arnisdale where I dropped James off to climb some Corbetts, and then enjoyed a beach walk before heading to Glenelg. I took the ferry across the Kylerhea Narrows to Skye and back, just as a foot passenger, and it was a lovely experience on such a beautiful day. There was a gorgeous collie called Spot, belonging to one of the ferrymen, who took his job as a ferry dog very seriously, even helping the ferrymen pull on the rope to tie up the ferry when it docked.

On the Sunday I decided to drive the forty minutes to the village of Plockton, where I went for a stroll and had a cup of coffee sitting outside the Plockton Hotel. It’s a very pretty seaside village. As I walked along the street, who did I meet but Maud and David, who I haven’t seen since they moved from Cambuslang to Kinlochewe. What a coincidence! We had a nice chat over a coffee. The sunny weather broke down on the Monday (in fact it had started raining during the night) and we said our farewells to the others and headed back to Ullapool. But what a lovely weekend in great company, in beautiful Glen Shiel with its herds of red deer, its wild goats, and its stunning mountains and rivers. 

Springtime in Ullapool

The past month has been a time of sadness and reflection for me, and also the advent of spring with its inevitable feeling of renewal. It’s hard not to feel a spark of hope when the sun is shining and trees are budding and the primroses are blooming beside the path. We fled Glasgow the day after Jackie’s funeral on 25th March, and we are spending a whole month in Ullapool. We have had some beautiful weather as well as some wild weather. We have had visitors (David and Chanel, James and Flo) and had a great time with them. The cats seem content in their alternate universe. We have been for walks and visited cafés in the village now that they are open for the summer season. We have watched the building work progressing at the harbour, and said hello to several Sammy Seals at the pier. We have watched films and television in the cottage. We have been to the pub and listened to Ceilidh music. I’m lucky that I have so many good memories of Jackie. The old cliché is “life goes on” and it should and does. But I wish it could go on with Jackie in it. 

Robin

I have not had the heart to blog since Jackie died.

Saturday morning. I’m sitting on a rock on a beautiful sunny day on a pebble beach along from the tiny hamlet of Corran, in Arnisdale. James is climbing a couple of Corbetts and I have walked a couple of kilometres past the end of the public road, past the last of the cottages. I am completely alone. The only sounds are birdsong in the trees behind me, and the rippling of water over the stones at the edge of Loch Hourne. I am surrounded on three sides by the grassy, heathery Barrisdale hills, and across the loch is the distant jaggy outline of the Cuillins of Skye. Today they are grey blue against the pale blue sky, which is has a few wispy white clouds trailing across it. The rock that I’m sitting on has many layers, grey and brown, shot through with pink and white quartz. 

Saturday Afternoon. Now I’m outside the café at Glenelg, looking down and across the narrow strait towards Kylerhea on Skye. The tiny turntable ferry, brightly painted red, white and green, is on its way across the dark blue water. There is a pleasant hum of conversation from the other picnic tables around me, but I still feel very peaceful and solitary as I sip my coffee. Suddenly a robin lands on the grass at my feet. It hops around and I give it some cake crumbs, then it flies up to sit on the branch of a tree. We look at each other for a good few minutes before it flies away. Goodbye my friend.