Spring has indeed sprung

We drove up to Ullapool on Sunday, passing through every sort of weather imaginable including snow. The mountains in the highlands are snow capped but thankfully the roads were clear. When we arrived, the heating was not working at the cottage. We will need to get it fixed properly again, but James came up with the ingenious solution of switching off the hot water in order for the heating to work. And when required, he can switch the hot water back on again. So we had rather a chilly first evening at the cottage which James improved by lighting a nice big fire. It’s great to be back in the cottage, but having been abroad for most of March it was quite strange to think that we are already in April, especially when it was chilly on Sunday. 

What a change today! I am sitting outside the cottage on the love seat and it’s almost too hot! A cruise ship arrived into the loch this morning and the water is sparkling in the sunshine. Birds are singing, the cats have been rolling around on the warm slabs, and it really feels like proper Springtime! I met baby Duncan today, who was all smiles out in the garden with Natasha. He is gorgeous! 

A Social week

After going on holiday, especially a long one, there is much social catching up to do, and that’s what this week was like! I had a lovely dinner with several cousins at Janie’s house on Monday; Janie, Julie, Rona and me. It was really nice to catch up on news, and we had a good laugh. 
James and I went for a walk around Chatelherault Country Park on Tuesday; this seemed easy peasy compared to the more challenging terrain of the Torres del Paine National Park! We spotted a clump of bright yellow coltsfoot, which is an early season flowering plant, but didn’t see any spring lambs yet. The weather was sunny and quite mild. 
Heather and I finally got to see “Inspector Morse: House of Ghosts” exactly a year after our first attempt! This was because I booked the tickets about fifteen months ago, assuming that the show was in April 2025! When we arrived that evening War Horse was showing instead; in our cool and adaptable way we got tickets for that instead and it turned out to be very good! But on 1st April 2026 we arrived to see Inspector Morse at last, starring the dishy Tom Chambers, and it was excellent. The plot was convoluted and a little unlikely, but the cast were great and we both enjoyed it. 
On Thursday I visited Gran Jan in Monklands Hospital. She was taken into hospital because of a haemorrhage in her bladder, but unfortunately she then developed clots in her lung. The clots have now been dealt with and the bladder is still under investigation, but she’s looking great and was due to go home the next day. The physiotherapist arrived to assess her, with a step for her to practice on because she has a couple of steps at her front door. She was pretty amazed at how nimble Gran Jan is, considering that she’s 91 years old! Later Davie and Chanel came round for a curry; Chanel is now 15 weeks pregnant and looking good. 
We attended a celebration for Sue on Friday. Sue died about five years ago, during Covid, so her funeral was very small and due to Covid rules there could be no gathering after it. Her daughters, Cora and Eilidh, decided that it would be a good idea to have a party for her friends on what would have been her 70th birthday. It was a lovely informal occasion and Sue’s walking club friends, neighbours and other friends all chatted about her fondly. I also met Gordon and Sue’s granddaughter Susie, who lives in Canada. What a cutie. 
Finally on Saturday, after my fifth Children’s Hearing training session (I’m now with a new group) we went for a delicious dinner at Heather and Ewan’s, when we showed them our photo book of our Chile holiday and heard about their ski holiday and had a good chat. 

Hailstones and Spring flowers

I arrived in Glasgow airport at 5.30 p.m. on Friday and two hours later I was hosting book club! I had actually asked to swap with someone but they had forgotten, so a message went out a couple of days beforehand that I was the host. I decided just to roll with it and it turned out fine; James kindly bought crisps and cakes, and I had plenty of soft drinks. It was, as ever, very pleasant to see the book club girls. Rather touchingly Flora spent the whole of book club sitting on the back of my chair; she seems pleased that I am home. Tom also gave me a big welcome.
We left Cambuslang at the end of winter and have arrived home in Spring! A chilly and rather wet Spring, but the flowers are beginning to blossom in the garden; daffodils, hydrangea, primroses, and the magnolia at the top of the garden is just about to bloom. However when we went into town on Saturday to buy James his new jacket (the one he lost in Chile never did turn up despite our enquiries), we were suddenly pelted by a shower of hailstones! Saturday was also Ally’s birthday; he phoned to thank us for his presents and we had a nice chat, Cat sent us a photo of the birthday cake that she has made for him. We decided to watch the film Sinners because it recently won several Oscars including Best Actor for Michael B. Jordan. Well, how strange! It started off about the social tensions in 1930s Deep South of America, but suddenly segued into a vampire film! The music was very good though; old country music, as well as a memorable dancing scene where the people’s ancestors appeared to dance with them, and I thought that it elevated the film. 

Summerfolk

It has been a whirlwind few days in London. I met up with Gordon, Morag, Sheena, Peter, and Alan at the Brasserie Zedel for lunch on Wednesday. It was really good and very French. My cheese soufflé was delicious. We then went to see “I’m Sorry Prime Minister” at the Apollo Theatre. Based on the popular tv series of the 1980s, it was very enjoyable and a bit like watching a couple of episodes of the series; the Prime Minister is long retired and is trying to cope with political correctness in his old age. The original cast have all died so the retired Prime Minister was played by Griff Rhys Jones and Sir Humphrey was played by Clive Francis. At the end there was a touching wee tribute to the original cast and writers as posters with their photos descended from the ceiling and the cast turned to applaud them. The London Theatre Club then repaired to a local hostelry for drinks before dispersing in various directions. Gordon headed to the train station for his return journey to Glasgow, while Morag and I walked to Westminster Abbey to attend a history talk about King James VI & I. It was strange to be in the sparsely lit abbey at night time, and the talk took place right beside King James VI & I’s grave, which is in a vault beneath the Henry VII Chapel. The talk was by historian Clare Jackson; she was very knowledgeable but not the most captivating speaker; let’s just say that she is no Lucy Worsley! Also it was really cold in Westminster Abbey! Morag and I went to a wee Italian Restaurant just off Leicester Square to warm up before going back to our hotel in Whitechapel. 
On Thursday morning we went to the Sky Garden for brunch. It was delightful and there were fantastic views in the sunny weather. I have been before with James, it was Morag’s first visit and we both loved it. 
After Morag left to continue her trip to see relatives, I decided to book a last minute ticket to see Summerfolk by Gorky, at the National Theatre. In 2019 James and I went to see Vassa by Gorky at the Almeida Theatre, and there are some similarities such as a decaying family and society. Summerfolk (1904) is about a group of idle and unhappy members of the Russian bourgeoisie, who are spending the summer at a dacha in a forest. There was a reference to the recently deceased Chekhov and his play The Cherry Orchard saying it "went on too long!” Apparently Summerfolk is often viewed as a response to The Cherry Orchard; this is interesting to me because we will be going to see The Cherry Orchard at the RSC in Stratford in July, so I will be able to compare the two plays. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and expertly navigated my way back to Whitechapel afterwards. I’m now at Heathrow airport ready for my afternoon flight back to Glasgow; I have been away from home for twenty-three days! 

A Splendid Day Out in the capital

I had a good nights sleep in my little hotel room and decided to visit the Wallace Collection in the morning because it currently has a Caravaggio painting on display; Victorious Cupid, on loan from the Gemäldegalerie in Berlin. He’s a happy and cheeky looking Cupid, very realistic standing surrounded by discarded symbols of human achievement. Excellent. 
In the café of the Wallace Collection, the waiter who brought me my cheese and chive scone said, “Try to resist as long as you can; your coffee is just coming!” It was indeed a delicious scone! Later I was sitting in a Chilean cafe near Hyde Park when I noticed that the music playing was “I’m on my Way” by the Proclaimers. How appropriate - the same song that Rodrigo was singing with me only a couple of days ago during our bio walk! 
The book which I will always associate with my trip to Chile is not Bruce Chatwin’s “In Patagonia” or Isabel Allende’s “House of the Spirits” or even Che Guevara’s “Motorcycle Diaries” although I read all of these in preparation for our journey. It is in fact “Lonesome Dove” by Larry McMurtry, recommended to me by Heather and set, not in Chile, but in New Mexico in the cowboy days of the late 19th century. It’s extremely good; such a great story and characters, and it took me most of the holiday to read because we didn’t have time for much reading! As Gus painted on his sign, Uva uvam vivendo varia fit; “A grape ripens by living with another grape.” Similarly the characters in the book develop during their journey together. It’s right up there with my favourite books of all time. 
I met Cat for a tasty pre-theatre meal in Sticky Mango, which serves South-East Asian cuisine and we had a good chat before walking g the short distance to the Young Vic to meet Gordon, Morag, Sheena and Peter, aka the London Theatre Club! Gordon had chosen “Broken Glass” which was excellent; set in New York just before the Second World War, one of the characters becomes paralysed, perhaps symbolising the powerlessness of the Jewish community on hearing the news of the atrocities in Europe. There were parallels with current events too, and it was very thought-provoking. We spoke briefly to actor Eli Gelb at the end of the performance, and then Cat and I saw Alex Waldmann (who played the doctor) running for a train at Waterloo Station; Cat called out “You were great in the play!” and he gave us a big smile. 

Santiago back to London

We had a delightful breakfast on Sunday before being picked up from La Casona at the civilised hour of 8.50 a.m. - much more relaxing than some of the very early pick ups that we have had during our holiday! We have seen and done so much and it has been brilliant. I’m particularly pleased to have done so many outdoor activities; hiking, cycling and swimming, and also trying white water rafting and horse-riding. We have seen a selection of really different parts of Chile; Santiago, Patagonia, Las Lagos, the Atacama desert, and the wine region of the Casablanca Valley. We have met lots of friendly and pleasant people, both guides and fellow travellers. We have tasted lots of Chilean food and James has tasted many Chilean wines. We have stayed in tents, a very simple hotel in Puerto Natales, a very smart and comfortable hotel in Puerto Varas, overlooking a lake, a quirky hotel in San Pedro with a ceiling fan and thick adobe walls, and a luxurious vineyard hotel set in a beautiful valley. Everyone we met said Hola! We have had great weather; only two rainy days in three weeks, and of course one memorably rainy night in a tent in Paine Grande! Sometimes it has been borderline too hot for me - when hiking in Torres del Paine and in the hot days in the Atacama desert. 
The fourteen hour overnight flight from Santiago to London was tedious but improved by the slightly more comfortable Economy Plus seats. We had a reviving coffee at Heathrow Airport before going our separate ways; James headed back to Glasgow to see the cats and I headed into London where I am going to spend a few days of culture and theatre! I’m staying in a wee Ibis hotel in Whitechapel rather than at Ally and Cat’s flat because it’s Ally’s financial year end this week and he’s extremely busy at work, so I thought that he should have a guest free house when he does get home from work! I may not see him at all this week because of this but I will be seeing Cat, which will be lovely. I walked to Canary Wharf and had dinner in Dishoom by myself; it’s the first time that I have been to one of this popular chain of Indian restaurants and it didn’t disappoint, the staff were friendly and the food was delicious. 

Lettuce

When Davie and Chanel were living in Stirling, they had a wee chalk board beside their door which they used to jot down groceries that they needed. One day when I was visiting them, I noticed that they had written “Loo rolls and Lettuce” on the board, and I said jokingly, “Are those your chosen baby names?” which they found very amusing!
Well, at the end of January this year, James and I were invited to their house for pizza before one of the Quiz nights at the Rowantree Inn. We sat down and Davie handed me a supermarket bag with a couple of gem lettuce in it. I was puzzled. Was he perhaps giving them to me as part of the healthy diet that I am always intending to embrace? I automatically said thank you and then “Why are you giving me these?” to which he replied, “You said that you wanted loo rolls or lettuce!” Very quickly the penny dropped - Chanel is pregnant! I burst into tears of happiness while James remained confused for a moment until Davie explained. I cannot express how overjoyed we both are to become grandparents, and what a lovely and special way Davie and Chanel chose to tell us! I have been absolutely bursting with the news for the last seven weeks but I have said not a word to anybody. Now Chanel is 13 weeks pregnant and she has had her dating scan; Baby Anderson is due on 25th September! Davie and Chanel have told the good news to Ally, Cat, Jamie and Kerry this week so now we can tell the rest of the family and our friends.