Music Quiz

Margaret set off homewards on Wednesday, we really enjoyed her company. We then had a quiet couple of days; the good weather lasted and I spent time in my hammock. I was delighted to have been awarded a 2nd and 3rd place in the photography section of the Ullapool Craft and Flower Show; I had entered various photos of the local area and my winning photos were of a dolphin jumping out of the water with a fishing boat in the background, and a sunny view of the Scoraig peninsula from the lighthouse at Rhue. Not bad for a first attempt. 

Heather and Ewan arrived to visit us today; we had lunch and sat outside the cottage to have a cup of tea before we walked down to the village. After dinner we went to the Arch Inn to take part in “Mr Murray’s Music Quiz,” a raucous event run by the eponymous Mr Murray, a retired teacher from the local High School, to raise money for a forthcoming school trip. We were very impressed by both Ewan’s and Heather’s superior knowledge of songs from every decade, and if the competition had been based solely on song and artist we would have definitely won. However we also needed to pinpoint the year that the song was released in the UK, and despite being able to guess within a year or two, we rarely got the year exactly correct, which was frustrating. We ended up somewhere in the middle of the scoreboard. The locals became increasingly loud as the evening progressed and sang along with all the songs and kept on singing after each excerpt was finished, which slowed down the quiz considerably! To be fair we sang along too! Soon many people were dancing on the chairs and the tables! Despite its excessive length it was a fun quiz and a happy evening. 

Brilliant boat trip to the Summer Isles

Today, Margaret and I decided to go on the Shearwater boat trip. It was an absolutely beautiful and sunny day; market has brought us brilliant weather during her stay, much better than was forecast. We armed ourselves with coffee and sweeties and soon set off into the loch towards the Summer Isles. We had a fantastic trip. Not only did we see lots of seals, we saw the two sea eagles flying around the cliffs and landing on the rocks. We spotted lots of seabirds including a mummy and daddy guillemot swimming along with their cute baby guillemot between them. We also saw dolphins which came really close to the boat, and even a Minke whale, black and sleek, which was amazing to see. 
We met James for lunch then had a relaxing afternoon sitting outside the cottage in the sunshine. 
Ruth, Donald, and Donald’s sister Sandra arrived later and we all sat outside for pre-dinner drinks. Margaret and the Watts all got on really well (as I had expected they would) and we had a fun dinner at the Ceilidh Place together. When we walked back to the cottage we saw a beautiful sunset but we didn’t linger too long to watch it because the midges were out in force! 

Margaret and James climbed Stac Pollaidh

Sunday was a cloudy and slightly drizzly day but energetic James and Margaret climbed Ullapool Hill anyway. They met a rather eccentric man who is in the process of climbing every hill in Great Britain - all of them! We then met in the Cult Café for a tasty lunch. We had such a relaxing afternoon reading the Sunday papers. 
In the evening we played Sequence which Margaret picked up very quickly and in fact won! 
Today the weather forecast was very good today so we set off to Coigach and James and Margaret climbed Stac Pollaidh. My intention was to go for a short walk and find somewhere near the loch to read my book but it was too midgy and after a while I retreated to the car. The intrepid hill-walkers returned after a couple of hours; they said they had a great time and when I saw Margaret’s photos from the top they were absolutely beautiful. We drove to Achiltibuie and purchased sandwiches from the village shop, which we consumed while sitting in a bench in the sunshine, looking over towards Tanera Mor. We then drove the short distance to Achnahaird Beach which looked stunning with the mountains behind. We took some deckchairs down to the beach and sat and chatted. I went in for a swim which was delightful, at this time of year the water doesn’t feel too cold and I enjoyed being lifted up and down by the waves. Back at the cottage later we all had showers and relaxed. When I was upstairs getting ready for my shower I could hear Flora talking to Margaret who was sitting outside on the bench, and Margaret replying, which was very sweet! Tom spent time with Margaret outside too. After dinner we were all rather exhausted from all the fresh air and had a fairly early night. 

Eucryphia at Inverewe Gardens

Margaret arrived to visit us on Thursday and it was great to see her. She doesn’t know the area around Ullapool well, which is lovely for us because we can show her around some of our favourite places. When she had unpacked, we went down for a walk around the village, visited the harbour and had afternoon tea at Tea by the Sea. 

Yesterday Margaret and I went back down to the village by ourselves and browsed around the few shops, had a cup of tea (of course) and then Alison and Hugh Birkmyre arrived for lunch. As I had expected the and Margaret got on very well and we had a chatty afternoon.

When James, Margaret and I arrived at Inverewe Gardens today, the National Trust guide greeted us warmly and told us to watch out for two Eucryphia trees, which have beautiful flowers in August. Sure enough, we found both trees and they looked absolutely beautiful with copious white blooms. It was another warm day, with mixed sunshine and clouds. We had a look round the house before having a nice coffee and and some cake sitting outdoors at the picnic benches overlooking the lawn. We walked all around the gardens enjoying the late summer flowers.

Our next step was Gairloch where we had a very pleasant walk along the sandy beach at Big Sand before visiting the Gael Centre. We had actually planned to have soup there, but by this time it was 3 p.m. so the soup was all gone so we had to have more cake instead! 

My Mum’s Wedding Ring

Kerry was recently chatting with me about the shape of wedding ring that she would like, and it sounded very similar to my Mum’s wedding ring, which is a simple rounded gold ring. I didn’t want her to feel obliged to have it, so I had a word with Jamie and said that they should discuss it. A few days later, I got a lovely phone call from Kerry to say that she did indeed love the ring and would like to have it if that was okay by me. Of course I said yes and posted the ring (recorded delivery) to New Zealand. It arrived there safely and surprisingly quickly, and I’m very pleased that Kerry likes it. I think my mum would be very pleased as well, because she loved Jamie so much and I think it would appeal to her that Jamie‘s wife will be wearing her wedding ring. Needless to say, Ally and Davie will receive similarly sentimental and valued items for their girls when they get married. 
Until I posted it, I wore my mum’s wedding ring on the middle finger of my left hand. The ring mark is still there for now and I think I will be a little bit sad when it fades. However, I am glad that the ring will continue to be loved by future generations of Andersons. 

A flying visit to Cambuslang

I’m back in Ullapool after a whirlwind weekend in Cambuslang. The house was very quiet without the cats, who of course stayed with James and Ullapool. However, I did have a companion; Alasdair. He has just arrived for a few weeks in Scotland where he is helping Davie to renovate the nursery for Baby Anderson. He will also catch up with a few of his Scottish friends, do some hill-walking, and plan his travels around the world over the next year. Understandably, he doesn’t want to set off until he has met the baby. It’s going to be nice to spend some time with him before he sets off on his adventure. 
Ally, me, Davie and Chanel met at our house for a curry and a catch up on Sunday evening, and then after my Children’s Panel on Monday morning I had a catch up with Alison T. Ally joined us when he arrived back from decorating the nursery and we all had a good chat. Chanel and I went out for brunch on Tuesday  to The Hidden Tearoom in Bothwell. I had a Bakewell scone which was absolutely delicious and we had some good girly chat. And then I set off north, listening to Comanche Moon by Larry McMurtry on the way. It was a quiet and straightforward journey and when I arrived back in Ullapool James had made his famous asparagus risotto which was a lovely welcome back. I also got a nice welcome from both cats! When Flora rubs her face against my cheek for ages and presses her forehead against mine it makes me so happy. And I feel the same when Tom offers to let me rub his tummy by rolling on his back, and speaks to me with his silent miaow. 

A History of Paper

I set off from Ullapool to Cambuslang today; I have a Children’s Hearing to attend on Monday in Hamilton. Last night Kenny and Cornel arrived to go hill-walking with James; we had dinner together and a nice chat. 
This morning I drove to Susan W’s house in Blair Atholl. She made me a delicious lunch including fresh vegetables from her garden when I arrived. Her house was formerly the local bank, and the front part still has the door to the vault. It’s very pretty and is set in large gardens. Susan has renovated it since her Dad died a few years ago and it is absolutely gorgeous. 
Susan then drove us to Pitlochry Festival Theatre; the first time that I have ever been there. It’s really smart and we got ourselves coffees before the performance started. We had excellent tickets in the front row. The play A History of Paper was performed by Alan Cumming and Shirley Henderson. These two excellent Scottish actors have known each other since they were young and they interacted very well together. I hadn’t realised that the play is actually a musical, which I liked. It was all about the paper that we collect during our lives and how that kind of tells the story of our lives. Near the end, there is a real twist which I didn’t see coming, and which was very sad and moving. I’m so glad that I went to it and I look forward to visiting Pitlochry Festival Theatre again. 
Back at Susan‘s, we had a cup of tea and a nice chat and then I set off to drive the last hour and a half to Cambuslang.