Beethoven and Sparks

We went to a couple of very contrasting concerts this weekend. I. Saturday evening we went to Beethoven’s 9th Symphony at the Royal Concert Hall; it was the RSNO’s season finale. It was excellent, such great music and so full of energy. I saw that Fiona was singing with the RSNO choir, it’s great that she is back singing because she loves it so much. 
And last night we went to see Sparks at Kelvingrove Bandstand. We were so lucky with the weather, it was so warm and sunny that I had to take off both my jacket and my fleece, which I was wearing in case it got chilly. Sparks got a rapturous reception from the crowd which was well deserved because they gave us a great show. I think that they were a bit puzzled that it was still daylight after 10 p.m. because they asked the crowd “Does it ever get dark here?” 

Scotland scores in the World Cup

We did not stay up last night to watch Scotland’s first game in the football World Cup because it didn’t start until 2 a.m. and we didn’t fancy a 4 a.m. bedtime. Lots of people did watch it though, including our dear son Davie, who was very tired today! Scotland won against Haiti 1-0 which was a good start. There were Scotland flags everywhere today; on house windows, cars and lamp posts. James and I went to Troon for a sunny walk along the beach and brunch at the Venice Cafe. 

Meanwhile Jamie and Kerry have arrived in the UK for their three week visit, and are spending the weekend with Ally and Cat In London, before heading to Ireland to visit Louise and then Ayrshire to visit Chris and Stacey and their three wee children. We will see them when they arrive in Glasgow next Friday.

On Wednesday we had lunch at Christine and Gerry’s in Dunlop. It was a sunny day and after our tasty lunch we sat in their gorgeous conservatory to have coffee. It was really nice to catch up with them. Then in the evening we met up with Davie and Chanel at the Rowantree Inn for pies and the quiz night. They were both looking well and were full of the joys. We came a respectable third in the quiz. 

Calton Hill and Kraftwerk

We had a lovely day in Edinburgh on Tuesday. We had tickets for Kraftwerk at Edinburgh Playhouse in the evening. We set off by train to Edinburgh after lunch and walked from Waverley station in a straight line all the way down to Leith, pausing for coffee at the Brunton Bookshop cafe. It was a fine day for a walk and stayed dry even though it kept threatening to rain.  We then took the tram back up to the Playhouse and walked up several sets of steep steps to the top of Calton Hill. Neither of us have been up there before. 
The reason for our visit started when Marjory sent me some photos that she took from the cafe there last year and I was very taken with them and asked where they were taken from. And then very thoughtfully Marjory and Forrest gave me vouchers for Cafe Calton for my birthday! 
As its name suggests Cafe Calton is at the top of Calton Hill, wth amazing views all around Edinburgh and over Leith to the Firth of Forth. It’s very smart and the food (a selection of small plates) was absolutely delicious. It was only ten minutes walk back down the hill to the Playhouse to see Kraftwerk. We have seen them once before in Dublin in June 2017, almost exactly nine years ago. Again they were brilliant, and I thought that the graphics were even better than last time. It’s such a visual show; the visuals are hypnotic. It was a fantastic concert. 

Long Days

I love this time of year for several reasons. First of all is the warmer temperature. I don’t like strenuous walking in warm weather, but I love sitting outside in the garden, where I am invariably joined by both cats. They love us being outdoors! Yesterday I had breakfast sitting on the love-seat, and Flora came and sat on the other half of it which was very endearing. Tom wasn’t far away, strolling around on the grass behind us. I also love the longer days, waking in the daylight instead of the dark. It’s great to play Pickleball outside at the tennis courts, so much milder than the chilly weather of a few weeks ago. And the back room is so warm that we often open the French windows and enjoy the fresh air while having lunch or reading or just chatting. It’s all very pleasant. 

A doggie visitor

Three of my cousins, Janie, Julie and Abigail came round for lunch today. Abigail brought her wee Westie, Rowan, and we were lucky to have lovely weather which meant that we could sit out in the garden. It was a delightful afternoon full of chat and laughter, and Rowan enjoyed getting lots of attention from all of us as she hunted bumble bees. Luckily she didn’t catch any!

Flora was upstairs in our bedroom when our visitors arrived and wisely stayed there; I’m sure she knew that Rowan was there because she appeared just after they left. However Tom was outside patrolling his territory when our guests arrived, and although he did not put in an appearance at all during the afternoon I suspect that he was watching us and our doggie companion from a distance the whole time. 

After Janie, Julie, Abigail and Rowan left, Tom came into the kitchen and gave James a hard stare before leaving again. James interpreted this as Tom being in a “furious mood” which I thought was very funny. He did give us a wide berth until the evening by which time he accepted some cat treats and appears to have put the incident behind him. 

Playboy of the Western World

This evening I went to see National Theatre Live’s production of Playboy of the Western World. I didn’t know what to expect and I was certainly surprised by the strange tragi-comic and downright absurd plot. The actors were all very good and performed in thick Irish dialect which took Gordon and I a while to get used to. The play was first performed in 1907 and offended Irish Nationalists so much that there was rioting in the streets! They thought that it was vulgar and mocking Irish culture, but I think it was actually mocking all human behaviour. 
I have been to see National Theatre Live several times before, and it is very nearly as good as seeing a play live on stage. This is probably because you are in fact seeing it live on stage, with zoom in shots and different camera angles, albeit recorded. It was a fun evening. 
Postscript - one of the actresses had a familiar Cusack look for me, and when I looked her up later I was pleased with myself for correctly identifying Megan, one of the younger members of the Irish Cusack acting dynasty! 

Beach day

Thursday was the hottest day yet of this early heatwave; about 24 degrees in Ullapool. Of course this is small beer compared to the record-breaking (for May) 35 degrees that is being experienced in London, but it still felt very warm. We decided to head to a beach and chose the small beach at Clachtoll. It was like being at the Mediterranean! So warm, with white sand and turquoise blue sea. There were a few other people on the beach but it wasn’t too busy, unlike many of the beaches in England this week where there has been over-crowding and even fighting. We are so lucky to be in the north west of Scotland. There were some people already swimming in the sea, and I lost no time in joining them! I put on my wetsuit for the second time and it certainly kept me warm in the water - almost too warm! I felt too separate from the water. So the second time I went in just in my swimsuit without my wetsuit and it was delightful. After a picnic lunch on the beach James went for a walk and then we headed back to the cottage. The mountains looked very clearly defined in the afternoon sunlight.