The Marriage of Figaro

On Sunday, we went to see The Marriage of Figaro at the Theatre Royal. It started at the early time of 3 p.m. which was just as well because it was about three and a half hours long including the interval. We both thought that it was wonderful. The plot was convoluted and indeed downright silly, but that’s to be expected from Opera. The music and singing however were absolutely sublime. We had seats in the front row which were fantastic because we could see the orchestra as well as the singers. What a great afternoon.
We arrived home in nice time to have a pizza dinner with Davie and Chanel. We had a great chat with them as usual; I find their opinions and knowledge to be very interesting. And we talked about anything and everything, including politics, religion, the Eurovision Song Contest and David Attenborough.
I had lunch with my school pals today at Il Pavone and as usual it was a pleasure to see them. Libby pointed out that in September this year she and I will have been friends for fifty-nine years! I think that we will have to have a special celebration for our diamond friendship anniversary next year. 
Today something happened which affected me much more than I would have expected at my time of life. I had been very pleased and flattered by an invitation which was then rescinded. Well such is life and to quote the film Casablanca, my little hurt feelings “don't amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world." 

Simon Evans

It has been a social and pleasant weekend. We met up with Ally and Colin Walker at the Art Gallery on Friday and had lunch in the café. Then on Saturday, we took the train through to Edinburgh and had brunch with Janet and Peter. It’s a while since we’ve seen them and it was really nice to catch up; they’re looking well and were full of the joys. It was a beautiful spring day and we strolled along Princes Street and down to the National Portrait Gallery. We wanted to see the portrait of Alan Cumming because we had recently watched a television programme about how it was painted. It’s by Gibraltar artist Christian Hook, and was painted in 2014, as the winning commission for the  Sky Arts portrait artist of the year. It’s very striking and I thought it looked even better in real life. There were lots of other really interesting portraits of Scottish people, some more my taste than others. 

We then went to the nearby Stand Comedy club, where we met Gordon and Morag for drinks and then watched comedian Simon Evans. I have never seen him before, and I was very impressed and indeed amused. He’s a couple of years younger than us and I thought he was very funny; very intelligent and confident. He seemed just to be telling us stories about his life, but it was really insightful and he made connections between all sorts of things. I would certainly go to see him again. The train was very busy on the way home but we managed to get seats and soon we were home in Cambuslang watching our old favourite, the Eurovision Song Contest. 

A Wee Girl

Yesterday I had a welcome meeting for new panel members in Hamilton, because we are now all officially qualified. Before this I met my former colleague Jennifer for a long overdue coffee in a nearby Starbucks. It was lovely to see her and we had a good chat. I had been thinking about Chanel and David all day. This was because it was Chanel‘s 20 week scan, and as well as checking that everything was okay, they were going to find out the gender of their baby.

A message arrived from Chanel on the family chat while we were still in Starbucks; “All healthy at the scan and baby growing well. Any guesses on gender?” We all started guessing and a short while later the answer arrived: “Girl!” Davie and Chanel even posted a photo of the scan photo sitting on top of a pink baby grow! I exclaimed “It’s a girl!” so loudly that people sitting at other tables in the cafe turned round to look at me and Jennifer was laughing! 

Now, just to be absolutely clear, the main and most important message here was that Baby Anderson is healthy. However, finding out the gender felt very exciting. We already thought of our grandbaby as a real wee person, but knowing that she is a wee girl makes it all feel even more real! A wee boy would of course have been equally welcome, and I would be delighted to welcome some (lots?) more Anderson boys and girls to the family in the future. How fun it is going to be to have a granddaughter! 

Oh dearie me!

We went to see The High Life at the King’s Theatre with Gordon and Morag on Tuesday after at tasty dinner at Cafe Antipasti. 
I watched this Scottish comedy programme in the 1990s, and I loved it. Strangely enough James does not remember it at all. Starring Alan Cumming and Forbes Masson, it’s about two air stewards on a fictional Scottish airline, camping it up and having various nonsensical adventures. They are supported by the eccentric and chaotic Captain played by Patrick Ryecart and terrifying chief stewardess Shona Spurtle, played by Siobhan Redmond. There were only six episodes ever made because shortly afterwards Alan Cumming went to work in America. It was really nice that all four main characters were reunited for this revival. They have made it into a musical and of course sang the catchy original theme tune. It was very funny and we all enjoyed it. 
Recently I accidentally ordered three boxes of tinned pears instead of three tins, which means that we have eighteen tins to use up! James decided that the perfect way to use these would be by adding Angel Delight, an ultra-processed powdered dessert which is whisked with milk to form a delightful mousse in various flavours such as chocolate or even better butterscotch. This was an favourite of ours in the 1980s, but we haven’t eaten it for decades. James secretly purchased a few packets and surprised me this evening with a dessert of tinned pears topped with chocolate Angel Delight; I was transported back to the early days of our marriage in the 1980s in a positively Proustian experience. 

Psychic Cats

We decided to adopt a new strategy when heading from Ullapool to Glasgow today. The cats have become very finely tuned to clues that we are packing up, no matter how subtle we try to be. They then disappear outside and don’t return to the cottage for hours. I can’t blame them because they hate the car journey, even though they seem happy in either of their homes and settle in immediately on arrival. So today I decided that instead of trying to be surreptitious about our departure, we should just pack up blatantly, let the cats do their own thing, and be prepared to set off at any time during the afternoon or even the evening. A plan like this requires two rules: -
a) stick to the plan.
b) hold your nerve. 
By late morning James was breaking both of these rules. When the cats arrived into the house just before lunch time he wanted to set off early, despite the fact that we hadn’t had lunch or finished packing the car. When I let them back out again according to our plan he became quite worried. I hoped that they weren’t picking up on his nervous tone but I think they heard him and stayed away for longer than they otherwise would have. I then made the mistake of trying to pick Tom up as he sauntered past when James and I were sitting outside on the garden benches. Needless to say he gave me the slip and I ended up pointlessly chasing him down the lane. They arrived back at about 5:45 and we quickly set off homewards. In theory our plan had worked because we departed within our target timeframe, but I think we would have been able to set off a bit sooner if we had been more relaxed because Tom and Floof definitely picked up on our intentions.

Phil Kay

Many years ago, maybe about 20 years ago, James and I went to see a Scottish comedian at the Fruitmarket in Glasgow called Phil Kay. He was very funny and his comedy was quite off the wall; rambling stories going off at a tangent. At the time he appeared on television a bit, but we hadn’t heard of him for years. Last weekend we saw in the Ullapool News that he was appearing last night at the Ceilidh Place Venue, and we got ourselves tickets. Well he has got older, but then so have we! Now in his mid fifties Phil Kay was still rambling and often forgot what he was talking about; in fact a guy in the second front row helped him out several times by reminding him! However he was mostly genuinely funny in his anarchic way, and at some moments he was extremely funny! From time to time he would pick up his guitar and improvise a terrible song. It’s pointless to try to describe any of his jokes because they were so weird and he certainly wasn’t to everyone’s taste; a couple of people walked out and quite a few just looked bemused. Those of us who got his humour very much enjoyed ourselves. 

Plockton and Sir David Attenborough

James and I travelled from Ullapool to Plockton on Thursday, so that James could climb a Corbett in the south of Skye. Before we set off, we made sure that both cats were safely in the cottage, and loaded up their food bowls with plenty of wet and dry food for two days. The journey was only two hours, and when we arrived in Plockton, it was breezy but sunny. We checked into the Plockton Hotel, then went for a walk through the little village and up to a viewpoint where we could see across to Skye and Raasay in the distance. We had a nice dinner in the hotel, and our room overlooked the water which was lovely. The next morning we had an early breakfast and set off to Skye where I dropped James off to climb his mountain. I went onto Portree where the weather was sunny, then rainy, then sunny, then rainy, changing every 15 minutes! I had coffee in a small café where I was chatting to an American couple from Oregon. I set off back along the road and stopped at the ferry terminal for Raasay, a place which holds good memories for the Anderson family. I went across on the ferry and back as a foot passenger, although I didn’t have time to disembark on the island. James had made tremendously good time on his Corbett and in fact was already waiting for me when I arrived to pick him up at 3 pm. We then drove all the way back to Ullapool, where the cats were very enthusiastic to see us; to have fresh food and to go outside to play. In the evening we watched a tribute to David Attenborough on BBC One because today, 8th May, is his 100th birthday. What an amazing person he is. He has done so much good in the world advocating for our planet and its wildlife. The celebration was at the Royal Albert Hall and Sir David attended, standing up without assistance when the audience sang Happy Birthday to him. 
His parents were pretty amazing too - his Mum was an activist during the 1930s and organised relief for Basque children from the bombing of Guernica; his Dad was the son of a grocer who worked hard to become a historian and academic, and the family took in two Kindertransport refugee children in 1939 who lived with them for seven years and kept in close touch for the rest of their lives. David and his brothers needed to get scholarships to be able to go to university (or drama school in his brother Richard’s case!) What an impact David Attenborough has had on the world! 

Pies and Music

During the days at the weekend we went with Ian and Iris on a couple of outings. They already know the area well, but hadn’t been to the new visitor centre at Corrieshalloch Gorge so we went there and walked down to the bridge along the new path. We also visited Lochinver and walked along to the harbour and had lunch at An Cala before each choosing a pie from the pie shop for our dinner, which we ate later with mash and broccoli. We even had a wee lunch sitting outside at the Seafood Shack, which has a shiny new building this season, although the seating is still outdoors. It was only just warm enough but worth it for the fresh seafood. On their last evening Ian attended a concert at the Macphail Centre which was for musicians only, so Iris, James and I went for drinks at the Argyle Hotel before wandering along to the Ceilidh Place. Our timing was perfect because we arrived there just before the crowd arrived from the Macphail Centre for that night’s session, and we nabbed a really good table at the side, from where we had a great view of all the action. I was speaking to a man called Pete McCallum because the night before he had sung an excellent song called “The Bothy Jazz Song” and I wanted to ask him who wrote it. It turned out that he had written it himself and when I told him that I had loved it he said “That deserves a hug!” and indeed gave me a big hug! We got to know quite a lot of the musicians by sight over the three evenings and chatted to some of them, they are a friendly group. We said our farewells to Ian and Iris on Monday as they set off to visit friends in Beauly. 

Fèis

We spent a lot of this weekend at the Fèis in Ullapool, which is pronounced “fesh.” Its full name in Gaelic is the Fèis Rois nan Inbheach which means Ross-shire Adult Festival, and it is held annually during the first holiday weekend in May. It’s all about traditional Scottish music, with workshops for the musicians during the day and sessions in various pubs at night, as well as a few concerts. We were aware that it happens, but this is the first year that we have attended any of it. This was thanks to Ian and Iris; they mentioned it to us earlier this year so we invited them to spend the weekend with us in Ullapool. Ian hadn’t signed up for the workshops this time, but he took part in all of the sessions and we went along with Iris as his official fans! We weren’t the only spectators but most people at the sessions were participants, and very talented. Someone would start a tune and everyone else joined in. There were lots of fiddlers, also guitarists, Celtic bagpipers, a cellist, a harpist, flautists, and a few drummers who were playing bodhráns. I really loved it but what I hadn’t bargained on was the extremely late nights that were involved. The musicians love to play and they carried on until the Ceilidh Place finally asked them to leave after 1 a.m. Then we would walk back to the cottage where James dispensed whisky and eventually Iris and I went off to bed at about two, leaving James and Ian to party on. Except for Sunday that is. I had expected that to be an earlier night because it was the end of the festival, but oh no. It was the latest night of all and we didn’t get to bed until 3:30 in the morning! 

Pleasant interlude in Ullapool

We set off to Ullapool on Tuesday after my morning Pickleball club which was outdoors at the tennis club in the good weather. We had a good run north and had a celebratory fish / veggie burger supper on our arrival. The cats jumped out of the car and ran off to reacquaint themselves with their northern territory. We carried the benches out of the garage in the morning and sat outside in the sunshine. The weather continued warm and sunny for the rest of the week and we had a great time going for walks and having cake and coffee outside Tea by the Sea. James worked in the garden and I got the cottage spruced up for our visitors, Ian and Iris. I also did some batch cooking, we watched the second season of the irritating but compelling The White Lotus on television, and read our books. A peaceful and pleasant week. 

The Sir Walter Scott

Today we went to Loch Katrine to go for a boat tour on the steamship Sir Walter Scott. This trip was gifted to James for his birthday by Heather and Ewan, and they decided that they would join us. The day got off to a shaky start when the road was closed at Loch Venachar which added forty minutes to our journey and unfortunately kept Heather and Ewan waiting for us at the Brig o’Turk tearoom. However it was great to see them and they put us at our ease and we even had time to go for a short walk at Brig o’Turk before our cruise. The Trossachs are so pretty in springtime, although we were too early to see many bluebells; only a few were beginning to appear. We drove the short distance to Loch Katrine and boarded the boat, welcomed by a man who was wearing a captain’s hat and a natty tartan waistcoat. Built in 1899, the Sir Walter Scott has been sailing on Loch Katrine since 1900, although the fine Scottish tradition of sailing on the loch dates back to the mid 19th century. Loch Katrine has also been the reservoir which supplies most of Glasgow with its water since the mid 19th century; although not Cambuslang, our water comes from Camps Reservoir near Crawford. The boat wasn’t too busy on this sunny Monday morning, and we really enjoyed the views of the loch with Beinn Narnain, Beinn Ime and Ben Vane visible beyond the far end. As we sailed westwards, snow capped Ben Lomond appeared from behind the hills to the south. Some members of our party found the breeze to be slightly chilly, but not me; there are some advantages to my intolerance of heat and near immunity to cold! The trip was an hour in total and then we had another fine tradition of Scottish high tea in the restaurant overlooking the loch; a tasty and generous amount of sandwiches, scones and cakes. 

Craig Ferguson

We were at the O2 Academy this evening with Gordon and Morag, to see Craig Ferguson. The show had been postponed from last year so we were excited to see him. We arrived early enough to have a very enjoyable drink and chat with Gordon and Morag before it started. I have never seen the O2 with seats installed downstairs before, it’s usually a standing area during concerts. James was wondering where they store such a substantial amount of seats when they are not in use. Craig Ferguson was very funny, he’s a clever man. I have seen him before in The Accidental Death of an Anarchist at the Citz many years ago and he was brilliant. If anything I thought that he was slightly nervous about being back in front of a Glasgow audience after so many successful years in America, but he got a warm reception. He said that his agent had told him not to worry because if people didn’t like him they simply wouldn’t buy tickets for his show, but he said “You don’t know Glasgow people!” implying that they would buy tickets just to prove to themselves that they were right about him, which I thought was very funny. His humour was anecdotal about his childhood, family, and experiences and we all enjoyed it very much.  

Lots of wild garlic

My cheese and wild garlic scones turned out to be excellent if I do say so myself. The weather has turned very warm and sunny and we have been enjoying sitting in the background room with the French windows open. To our surprise who appeared on the patio this afternoon but my old chum Vinnie! James and I greeted him warmly and were about to give him some dog treats that I still have in the cupboard, but then I heard Suzy calling him; she is dog-sitting while Rachel and John are on holiday. Vinnie and I went up to the top of the garden to see her, her garden is securely dog-proof so clever Vinnie must have made a Houdini-like escape through the hedge! I wonder if he heard and recognised our voices? 
On Friday evening, after a very pleasant and sunny day walking along Troon Beach, we met Gordon and Morag to see the Bon Jovi Experience (the only “official” tribute band as they proudly announced!) Gordon had kindly invited us along, and I accepted with alacrity because I assumed that James had been a fan of them in the 90s. It turns out that he wasn’t actually a fan but the band and music were very good and we both enjoyed ourselves, as well as Gordon and Morag’s friendly company. 
Today was a cooking and garden day. I made potato and wild garlic soup with more wild garlic from the Clyde Walkway. It was fine but the delicate taste was perhaps just a little too delicate. Cornel and Heather came for dinner and in addition to the soup we made roast lamb with juniper berries and asparagus, followed by James’ excellent crème brûlée. It was a happy evening. 

Springtime Fun

On Sunday evening James and I went out for dinner to La Lanterna in Grest Western Road; Marjory and Forrest had very kindly given us a voucher for Christmas. We hadn’t been here before, and we really liked it. The food was of course Italian and plentiful. On the way home we saw a beautiful rainbow arching over Glasgow, with a faint second rainbow beside it. 
I wore a new swimsuit when I went for a swim on Monday morning, but I didn’t realise before I put it on how low cut it is. I felt a bit embarrassed although I’m sure that no one else noticed! Marjory came to Pickleball with me on Tuesday; it was the first time she has played it. Everyone made her very welcome and she picked it up very quickly, she has a real instinct and talent for it. We walked back home and had lunch with James and Forrest. Tom was so happy when we went out for a stroll around the garden and kept us company, then he sat purring on Marjory’s knee. It was a warm and sunny afternoon and Floof also joined us in the back room. 
This morning we went for a cycle to Cuningar Loop. James had very kindly serviced both of our bicycles so that they were ready to ride. It was only a 16 km round trip and very pleasant along the verdant Clyde Walkway. We picked some wild garlic so that I can make cheese and wild garlic scones. 
In the afternoon I visited Janet in hospital, she will be getting home tomorrow which is excellent news, and she was looking well. And in the evening we went to the pub quiz with Davie and Chanel. We didn’t win but we had a great time. 

The Baby and Toddler Show

Today was my last day of Children’s Panel Training. I felt excited that I had finally made it to Week 7; it has been a lot of work but so interesting and I have met some great people. I then met Chanel at the SEC and we went to the Baby and Toddler Show. It was absolutely fascinating. Pram technology has moved on a lot in the last thirty years and I was very impressed with how smoothly the new prams turn. Something new (to me anyway!) is a cot which can attach to the bed, called a bedside crib or "next to me" crib, with a mesh partition which can slide down. This means that baby can sleep in their own space while being within arm's reach for feeding and comforting. And the car seats are amazing, they can turn sideways to make it easier to lift baby in and out of the car. We had a lovely time wandering around looking at everything. Davie and Chanel had already chosen their pram system so after trying it out we went ahead and ordered it. Back at home James arrived home early from his hill-walking weekend due to bad weather. I was determined to complete and submit the decisions and reasons for this week’s Children’s Hearings and it took me most of the evening. But now it’s done, hooray, and my training course is truly complete. In due course I will (hopefully) receive an email to tell me that I have been approved and that I can sign up to hearings as a panel member. 

L’Étranger; Killing an Arab

Yesterday evening, James and I went to see L’Étranger with Heather and Ewan; the 2025 film version of Camus‘s novel. It was filmed in black-and-white which suited the downbeat atmosphere and Benjamin Voisin was excellent in the lead role. It’s a long time since I read the book but I reckon the film was pretty true to the story, and Camus’s bleak absurdist view of the world was well portrayed. I absolutely loved it. We went for dinner to red onion afterwards and chatted about the film. Ewan had correctly discerned that the song “Killing an Arab” during the closing credits was by the Cure; we looked it up during dinner and in fact it was written by them about the novel “L’Étranger” back in 1984 as their debut single. The title and lyrics have been condemned as racist by people who didn’t realise that it was about the book and this has given them a lot of grief over the years. Robert Smith has said that he wishes they had given it a different title! 
In laundry news, Ally and Cat brought me a beautiful merino wool jumper for Christmas in a cornflower blue colour. This week I have been doing a big clothes cleared out and when I was looking at the jumper, I noticed that there was a mark on the front of it which I hadn’t noticed when I put it away before. I decided to hand wash it, which I don’t do very often, but I really wanted to be careful so that the jumper would keep its softness. I managed this successfully but oh boy it took a long time to dry! This was because I dried it flat on a towel to keep its shape. It was worth it because it looks and feels brand new. 

Films, television and a camellia

I had a very relaxing day on Sunday; Ally arrived home from Sandy’s stag do early afternoon and James and I had a good chat with him before taking him to the airport for his flight back to London. We then drove the short distance to Braehead to see a film that Cornel recommended to James; Project Hail Mary. It’s a science fiction film starring Ryan Gosling about a space flight which is a last ditch attempt to save our sun from being destroyed by “astrophages.” It is very watchable with some great moments, but is a bit silly and schmaltzy in places. All in all I enjoyed it though, and afterwards we seamlessly headed straight to East Kilbride to collect a curry which we ate while watching last week’s episode of Race across the World. 
I had a lovely lunch with Chanel on Monday; we went to Homegrown Garden Centre in Gartcosh, and Chanel very generously bought a beautiful camellia for David, to put on their front doorstep. James and I are enjoying watching the third series of The Capture which is about AI and fake news. I am also enjoying my guilty pleasure; watching Below Decks, but I am practising delayed gratification by rationing it out at one episode a week. And a new season of Race across the World has just started, which is downright silly but has beautiful scenery and is extremely enjoyable to watch. 

Assessment

Today was my assessment in chairing a Children’s Hearing. I have been preparing for it all week, which I realise is ridiculous because in real life you have to prepare for three hearings at a time with only a few days notice. I was determined that I would be well-prepared but in the event I was over-prepared because I tried to place some detailed actions on Social Work that are not in the Panel’s remit! Apart from that I think it went well but I would like to attend a lot of hearings before I feel ready to chair a real Children’s Hearing. I’m so tired because I have been sitting up late making notes for the hearing all week, and then last night we were up late chatting to Ally, who is in Scotland to attend Sandy’s stag do. It was lovely to see him. This morning I got up super early to go over my notes one more time. I felt more relaxed once I arrived at the Leonardo Hotel; my new group are a friendly bunch and we were all supporting each other. And so Day Six of my training is finished! Next Saturday will be my final day of training. 

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. 

Horse-riding in Chile

We woke to much birdsong at La Casona, there are geese, southern lapwings, cormorants, and turkey vultures, Californian quail, and lots more that we didn’t identify. We enjoyed watching the geese on the pond when we were eating breakfast in the restaurant. Our first activity of the day was a bio hike with Rodrigo. The valley looked beautiful; steam was rising from all the plants into the air as it warmed. He told us about the plants and animals of the area. For example he showed us Boldo leaves which are infused in boiling water to make a traditional herbal remedy for digestive issues and liver health. The Litre tree provides habitat and food for native species, but has poisonous sap that irritates the skin.  We saw big eucalyptus trees with silvery leaves, and a huge organ pipe cactus. Rodrigo is also very interested in language and history, and he told us a bit about recent Chilean history, which was very interesting to hear from a young Chilean. He is sure that Salvador Allende shot himself (rather than being shot by Pinochet’s soldiers) because Rodrigo’s grandfather’s friend was the doctor who certified Allende’s death. 
We went along to the swimming pool for a few hours and it was absolutely idyllic. Turkey vultures were swooping overhead; birds were singing in the trees, we swam and then relaxed on comfortable loungers. 
After lunch it was time to go in our final activity; horse-riding! This was James’ idea to try something new, and it turned out to be great fun. After a bit of instruction we climbed onto our horses and set of on a trek through the valley. We were accompanied by the instructor and four friendly Americans. My horse was a bay called Marlen and James rode Pintau, who was black with a white star on his forehead. We rode along through the gorgeous countryside, despite being told how to make the horses stop and start, they really did exactly as they pleased. Sometimes they paused to eat some grass, then trotted to join the other horses, which was very bumpy. Naughty Marlen even nipped another horse at one point although it didn’t seem too bothered. It was a lovely experience. 
Later we enjoyed a five course tasting menu in the restaurant, paired with wine for James. It was all delicious, however towards the end of the meal the maitre d’ got a bit confused with the courses. We were brought dessert spoons for the final course (five) and had to politely point out that we were on course four not course five. So the spoons were removed, but two minutes later the spoons were firmly returned. Then course four arrived and we had to ask for knives and forks! This did not detract from a really special culinary experience, very fitting for our last night in Chile. 

La Casona at Matetic Vineyards

We were sad to leave San Pedro early this morning, we have never been anywhere like it; this little dusty town in the middle of the desert. Calama Airport was pleasantly uncrowded and we had coffee and pastries before our flight. Back in Santiago, we were soon picked up by our driver and an hour and a half later we arrived at La Casona at Matetic Vineyards, in the Casablanca Valley. I don’t know what I expected, but I was taken aback at the beauty of the hotel, all on ground level, with its large rooms all opening onto three sides of a courtyard filled with lush flowers. The octagonal restaurant, with huge windows looking onto a pond, is a short stroll away, as is the outdoor swimming pool. The Rodrigo greeted us and was so friendly, and helped us to book activities for the afternoon and the next day. After a quick lunch we set off on a wine tour of the estate by minibus. The guide pointed out the different varieties of grapes, which are currently being harvested. In the fields there were little wind turbines which prevent winter frost from forming on the vines. The valley is called Rosario because it’s in the shape of a rosary, and it’s owned by the Matetic family who run the winery and farm in a bio way, using herbs and animals as natural fertilisers and weed control. We had a tour of the winery itself before a wine tasting back at the restaurant. I opted out of this because I had tried a mouthful of wine at the winery and it instantly gave me dreadful heartburn. Later we had a seven course dinner while being entertained by a guitar player and an accordionist playing traditional dance music and a couple of elderly but enthusiastic dancers. 

Valle de la Luna

Today’s tour guide was Vicente who originally comes from Concepion in the south of Chile. We had two pleasant young American travelling companions called Chris and Abby, a cardiologist and a biologist specialising in algae, which she monitors in Lake Superior. They live in Minnesota. 

First we had breakfast watching the sun rise over the mountains, with a lively and knowledgable commentary from Vicente. I had my first taste of Coca leaves infused in boiling water; they are a stimulant and combat altitude sickness, hunger, and fatigue. The desert mornings are delightfully cool, but it gets hot quickly. Then off we set to the famous Valle de la Luna (Moon Valley), a stunning landscape. It really is otherworldly and almost completely barren, no wonder it was named after the surface of the moon. It’s a mixture of stone and sand formations, including huge sand dunes. We could see expanses of salt lying on the surface in the distance. We walked up the sandy trail to a high lookout point, it became increasingly hot and the earth dropped away alarmingly at the side of the path into a deep ravine. Apparently it can be very windy but not today. NASA has used the Valle de la Luna to test autonomous rover prototypes for movement, drilling, and sample collection because it’s the area on earth most like the landscape of Mars. Back at the minibus we set off to Ayllu, a tiny traditional community, where we walked round the vegetable gardens and adobe houses. James was encouraged to pick a pomegranate off the tree (you do it by twisting, not pulling) and we all enjoyed eating the seeds. We saw a huge variety of fruit like quinces and pears, and vegetables including asparagus, which they grow very thin and tall here. We had lunch on a shady terrace; Sopapaillas with the freshest salsa I have ever tasted. We tasted arrope de chañar, a thick, dark sticky or syrup made from the fruit of the chañar tree (Geoffroea decorticans) and then a dessert which was a mousse made with arrope, which we sprinkled with crunchy dried quinoa seeds. Back in San Pedro we visited the pharmacy because James got water in one of his ears when we were white water rafting in Puerto Vargas, and it’s feeling sore. This has happened before on holiday so hopefully we can nip it in the bud before it gets worse. It’s so dusty in the Atacama desert, when I had my shower later my hair and skin felt gritty.

Toconao and Laguna Chaxa

After a delicious breakfast in the hotel, we walked the very short distance into the centre of San Pedro. It has low buildings, many made with adobe, little tourist shops and restaurants. We stopped for cool drinks in a wee café. 
Rodrigo was our guide for our afternoon tour. One of his favourite sayings is “Buenos Dias! Dias Buenos!”
The drive was dominated by Licancabur, the perfect 6000 metre cone shaped volcano on the border of Chile & Bolivia and there are several other volcanoes visible nearby. 
We drove along past the salt flats, which have lots of minerals and chemicals such as lithium. We arrived at Toconao, a traditional, 12,000-year-old oasis village, fed by the small Toconao River which flows down from the Andes. It is known as the "place of stones," because the houses are built from volcanic liparite stone. The San Lucas bell tower in the village square has a door made out of cactus wood! Our guide introduced us to one of the local farmers who gave us a tour round the carefully irrigated orchards and small gardens which were filled with lush fruit; pomegranates, quinces, avocados, grapes, figs, apricots and much more. We were given a big bunch of grapes straight off the vine and they tasted so sweet. We bought delicious Aryamp ice cream from a tiny shop. 
We continued on the road across the salt flats and Rodrigo said that the road is actually made of salt which has been compressed and hardened. The Atacama Salt Flat is located in a depression formed by the rising of the Andes and Domeyko mountain ranges. The central block sank and was then covered by a layer of volcanic material, and over the years, salts and minerals were washed down from the hills by water flowing from the Andes. You can see these salts crystallized on the surface of the desert.
We arrived at Laguna Chaxa where flamingos were standing in the shallow lake eating microscopic algae, brine shrimp, and small crustaceans filtered from the salty water. It is amazing that such a seemingly inhospitable area can support life. We also saw two wee lizards circling each other and fighting. Rodrigo drove back to the outskirts of San Pedro where he laid out drinks and snacks as we watched the mountains light up and change colour as the sun set. Later we strolled into the village for a late dinner. 

Star-gazing in the Atacama Desert

Arturo got us to the airport in good time this morning for the 09.58 plane to Santiago. The airport wasn’t too busy and it was all rather pleasant. Our next flight was the 11.53 from Santiago to Calama, again no waiting and hardly any queues. By twenty past three we were being driven to San Pedro by José, a quiet chap whose playlist consisted entirely  of pan pipes music. The landscape couldn’t have been more different from the fertile green fields of Los Lagos; the long straight road cut through desert with only scrubby little plants dotting it sparsely. The snow-capped Andes could be seen in the distance to the east as we headed south-east. There were little shrines every now and then at the roadside. We saw a few guanaco standing on a small rise. Eventually we started descending into a big wide valley, still very arid, and there was the small oasis town of San Pedro. Our hotel, the Noi Atacama, is very pretty. It has adobe walls and ceiling fans to keep the rooms cool. We went for a swim on the small but delightfully refreshing swimming pool. After dinner we were picked up by minibus to go on a star-gazing trip out in the desert. It was brilliant; the guide used a laser pointer to pick out the different stars as we sat round a camp fire. Of course the sky was absolutely clear and it was a new moon which was great. We saw the Southern Cross, its kite shape easily seen by the naked eye, and on its side because it’s autumn in the southern hemisphere. 
Then we used two large telescopes to take a closer look at the skies. 
We saw “the fleas” on the Dog Star (Sirius) which is a faint star cluster (aka the little beehive cluster) which consists of thousands of stars when you look through the telescope. 
Jupiter was the only planet visible, and through the telescope we could see three of its moons. 
We looked at Beetlejuice which is a rusty red colour, and the Orion Nebula which appears as a fuzzy "star" to the naked eye, but through the telescope you can see that it’s a gas and dust cloud where stars are being formed.
Looking south we saw that Alpha Crucis, which looks like one star to the naked eye, is actually two stars. We saw the “firefly” cluster in the constellation Carina, again many thousands of stars when you look through the telescope. It was an amazing evening. 

Cycling and white water rafting in Los Lagos

On Sunday we were pleased to wake up to a sunny morning in Puerto Varas, because we were going on a cycling trip. Our guide Jorgio (Jorge) and driver Santiago picked us up nice and early and drove us via the main road to the little town of Frutillar (means strawberry) which we visited on Saturday. Apparently the road that goes behind the lake is Pan-American road from Alaska all the way to Chile (although it’s not quite continuous because it’s divided by waterways in Panama, Honduras and Nicaragua.)
It was lovely to see Frutillar in the sunshine and the cycle was great fun; we had electric bikes which were handy for the few steep climbs. I used the “turbo” setting liberally on these while purist James hardly used any electricity at all. We cycled 26 km from Frutillar to the village of Llanquihue. Jorge pointed out various landmarks and views on the way. At one point we had a brief rain shower but we had waterproofs and the sun soon came out again. We were also chased by a dog for a short while but it wasn’t too alarming. There are a lot of seemingly stray dogs in Chile; however they are more like “village dogs” because they are well fed, mostly docile and look well cared for. Before going back to the hotel we all went to Bravo Cabrera for pub lunch where we had giant burgers (mine was a beetroot burger) and James quaffed some beer. 
Then this morning we were collected from the hotel at 8.30 a.m. to go white water rafting. Two very pleasant Americans, Steve and Julie, were in the same minibus, and another six people met us at the rafting centre so we were ten in two boats. 
We travelled by minibus further up the Petrohué River which has class III rapids and is surrounded by volcanoes. It is a stunning setting, even in a rainy day. We were provided with wetsuits, life jackets, neoprene booties, and helmets. 
The guides gave a short but thorough safety talk,
where they explained what to do in case you fall into the water. This spooked me quite a lot; I didn’t like the fact that you have to sit right up in the side of the inflatable boat and that you have to hold on only by bracing your feet under the side, because your hands are wielding the paddle. However once we got started I thoroughly enjoyed myself! James bravely took a seat right at the front of the boat so he got the brunt of the water. Our guide Filippo directed us when to paddle and when (alarmingly) to duck down onto the floor of the boat at the most bumpy bits.
The descent of the river took about an hour and a half, going through eight sets of rapids and we had spectacular views of the Calbuco volcano looming through the mist as well as lots of tree clad hills. We stopped at one point where some hardy souls (including James!) got out of the inflatables to climb on rocks and jump into the river. Back at the rafting centre we had a nice pizza lunch in their wee café before being bussed back to our hotel. 

Lake Llanquihue

The weather forecast was correct and we woke up to wind and rain. Although from the comfort of our very nice hotel room rather than a campsite I’m glad to say. This mean that our trip to the volcano was cancelled; it’s lucky that we saw it from our balcony yesterday because it was not visible at all today! Instead we were taken by car on a lakeside tour by driver Arturo and tour guide Reubèn, stopping at several villages along the way. The lake is called Llanquihue (pronounced Yankee-way) from Mapuche language meaning “sunken place” We saw plenty of Germanic estancias in this very agricultural area, wooden houses and huge wooden barns, with hydrangeas around their fences. The fields were full of cows or horses. 

Reubèn told us so many interesting things that I can’t remember them all, but here are a few. 

• Pisco is the Chilean national drink. It is also the Peruvian national drink and although they both claim its origins, it probably was invented in both places around the same time. 
• Chilean strawberries are white.
• In the 19th century in Valparaiso there were many British sailors; English nautical phrases often got Hispanicized by the locals. For example Bad weather” was used in local speech as “baduera”  
• In Chile, “la once” is the name for a late afternoon meal, similar to the Scottish “high tea” and nowadays consists of a light meal or just coffee and cake. The reason that it’s called “la once” is that the Spanish word for brandy has eleven letters: aguardiente. People used to say “tomar las once” (drink the eleven) as a discreet way to say that they were going to have a brandy! Over time the meal evolved into afternoon tea or coffee and snacks, but Chileans still say “tomar once!” And they specifically use the verb “to drink” even though it’s now food as well. 
• In Puerto Varas the German influence is still strong and people refer to cakes as küchen.

I’m sure that many more facts will come back to me! At the village of Frutillar we went to the Museo Colonial Aleman which was a farm museum with several buildings and attractive gardens. There was an old mill, a blacksmiths shop and a farmhouse, with furnishings and equipment from the 19th century, all very interesting. 

After a brief stop in the pretty little village of Puerto Octay we had lunch in the traditional Chilean / German Espantapajaros restaurant. The food was great but the restaurant was disconcertingly empty. I suppose that we are at the end of their tourist season. And thence back to the hotel to relax for the rest of the afternoon. We had dinner in the excellent Restaurante Las Buenas Brasas where James drank a pisco sour out of loyalty to Chile! 

Puerto Natales to Puerto Varas

I woke up in Puerto Natales feeling so refreshed. However I think that’s I’m allergic to the adhesive on hydrocolloid patches because my blistered toe is dreadfully sore, so I removed the patch. My toenail on the big toe of my left foot is completely black too, but my right foot is unscathed. We had an early start to get the 10.18 plane from Puerto Natales to Puerto Montt, where we were met by a driver who drove us 25 minutes to Puerto Varas also known as the City of Roses. 
It’s a little town in the Los Lagos (Lake) District of Chile on the shores of Llanquihue Lake. It was founded by German immigrants in the 19th century and a lot of the German-inspired houses have wooden shingles on their roofs and facades made from the rain-resistant alerce (Patagonian larch) tree. Our hotel is on the lakeside and has views over the lake to the Osorno and Calbuco volcanoes.
We went for a pleasant stroll along the promenade and drank freshly made juice sitting outside a wee café in the sunshine. We could see the volcanoes across the bay, wreathed in clouds. The weather forecast for the next few days is dreadful, however it was hard to believe that as I sat on our balcony this afternoon on such a hot and rather humid day. Dinner in the restaurant was absolutely delicious and we are having an early night; neither of us has quite caught up in our sleep yet! 

W Trail addendum - The Story of the Lost Dad

Two lovely people that I met today, Floyd and Zack, told me what happened to them when they walked up to the Torres viewpoint two days ago. Floyd is Zack’s Dad and was walking slower, so they agreed that Zack would head down the hill to get ingredients for dinner at Central Rifugio before the shop closed. He thought that his Dad would arrive about an hour after him. Meanwhile Floyd stopped briefly at Chileno and continued past Windy Pass. However at some point he took a wrong turning and got lost in the woods. Zack was waiting for him at Central, growing increasingly worried, and eventually reported Floyd missing. The rangers forbade Zack from heading back up the hill because it was getting dark and they didn’t want another person to go missing. They checked the cctv at Chileno and Floyd could be seen setting off from there only an hour after Zack, as expected. Meanwhile Floyd was lost and it was completely dark. Zack had carried a lot of Floyd’s kit down for him so Floyd had no food, head torch, emergency blanket or first aid kit. He had only a little water. His phone and watch batteries died. He kept walking along the trail looking for signs, and when he realised that he wouldn’t find his way back, he sheltered under a tree. It began raining, lightly at first so the leaves protected him, but then harder and harder which was very unpleasant despite wearing waterproof clothing. He nearly fell asleep at one point but was wary of getting hypothermia so he forced himself to stay awake and paced up and down for hours until eventually he saw the sky getting lighter. Once he could see a bit he started following a trail along the side of the mountain and in time he met some people heading the other way so he found out that he was going in the direction of Francès. One couple noticed that he was looking exhausted and gave him water and food. A bit further on he met a ranger who had his photo on his phone as a missing person, and walked him back to Central. A very relieved Zack was waiting for him, and they were allowed to stay an extra night; Floyd slept for the whole day. Strangely enough, Floyd wasn’t the only person missing in the mountains that night; the rangers told Zack that two other couples were also missing. So this must be a regular occurrence. I presume that they turned up eventually. The rangers told Zack that when people go missing it’s usually because of one of three reasons: 

1. They are fed up with hiking and have set off back to Puerto Natales without telling their group. 
2. They have found their way to the wrong rifugio and are getting drunk there.
3. They really are lost.

Thank goodness that Floyd was ok after his ordeal, and in fact was back hiking a day later in great spirits. 

W Trek Day 4 - Paine Grande to Grey Glacier Return

Oh boy what a night! It was raining heavily when we got to our tent and it continued for most of the night. It was so loud that it was really hard to sleep. There were some strong gusts of wind too, and the tiny tent was draughty and cold. The mattresses felt hard and my back was uncomfortable, and strangely my knees were sore too. It really was an ordeal and I was so relieved when morning came. We could see that the rain has fallen as snow on top of the mountains. We packed up and had a decent breakfast at the rifugio, then James set off up to the Grey Glacier via the Rifugio Grey. He saw Dr H and his wife and daughter up there; a family that we keep running into. Initially we found them to be quite annoying because they relentlessly quiz everyone they meet about their lives, but we have grown fond of them! James also saw his Brazilian friend Herminio, a solo walker who has taken a great liking to James. The weather was cloudy but dry. I decided to stay near the rifugio and I went for a walk to the lake shore; the sun came out and the lake looked a striking turquoise. I met some interesting people at the hut and the time flew by. James arrived back late afternoon and we got the 7 p.m. ferry from Paine Grande to Pudeto (about 25 minutes across Lake Pehoe with fantastic views of the mountains) then the bus back to Puerto Natales (about an hour and a half) then a taxi from the bus station to our wee hotel. We arrived at about half past nine, tired and not at all hungry. The hotel felt like a palace after last night’s tent, and we packed and repacked our cases before having lovely showers. Oh the joys of an en suite shower after the squalor of camp site showers! Soon we were in our comfy bed, it felt wonderful. 

The challenging (for me) hiking, the dreadful communal showers and toilets, and the tiny tents all pale into insignificance beside the beauty and wonder of Torres del Paine National Park. I feel so privileged to have visited this wild and unique area with its jagged mountains cloaked in glaciers and its turquoise lakes. Walking among it is the only way to experience it properly. I feel very grateful that James brought me here. 

James walked 21.6 km and ascended 670 metres. 

W Trek Day 3 - Cuernos to Paine Grande via Mirador Britannico

Today we walked from Cuernos to Paine Grande. James’ jacket fell out of the top of his rucksack at some point after we left Cuernos this morning and he didn’t realise until we had been walking towards Francès for an hour. A man from Brazil, Hermanos, told him that he had found it and handed it to some girls who were heading back to Cuernos. James decided to go back for it because it’s a newish and costly jacket. I continued onwards at my usual slow pace but I was mainly in the shade, which made for much more pleasant walking than yesterday. The paths seemed slightly easier too, either that or I’m getting used to climbing over boulders! I could hear sounds like thunder; it was ice falling off the glacier high above me. 
James caught up with me at the Italiano hut, which is very basic and used mainly for people to store their backpacks while they go up to Mirador Britannico. Unfortunately his jacket had not been handed in at the Rifugio Cuernos so it was a wasted extra two hours of walking for him. He decided to go up to Mirador Britannico all the same, while I plodded slowly on to Paine Grande. I immediately ran into Jürgen and Margit, who had just descended from Mirador Francès, which is about half way up. Jürgen told me that he had trouble with his knee yesterday, it locked while he was on the trail and was very painful. They made it to Rifugio Francès (having been turned away from Cuernos at 3 p.m.) and he went straight to bed. I’m amazed and impressed that he was back out walking today! I don’t understand why they were turned away from Cuernos at 3 when we were given a tent at 5.30; perhaps I seemed more distressed, or perhaps they keep a couple of tents back for people who arrive later and won’t have time to get to the next hut. 
I was talking to a very nice American gentleman on the trail and saying that I wished that I had got fitter before the holiday, and he said that at the beginning of the baseball season in America, if you haven’t got fit enough in advance, you say, “I’m playing myself into shape.” So that’s perhaps what I’m doing! We have met so many lovely people while walking the W trail. 
The distance of my walk today was allegedly 11 km, but it felt much longer due to the rubble paths, including huge rocks, and lots of ascending and descending. My watch recorded 16 km. The views were amazing, starting with Lago Nordenskjöld and then Lago Skottsberg. I slowly passed Cerro Paine Grande which looked magnificent from every angle, capped with snow.  Finally I could see Lake Pehoé  with Rifugio Paine Grande in the distance. I think that I arrived at about 4 p.m. after starting the walk at 8 a.m. which was very slow but the terrain is rough. I went in to the rifugio and had a cool drink in their lounge. James arrived back at about quarter to seven. Dinner was self service and very slow, but the food was ok, and we finished the day with drinks in the rifugio’s lounge. 
James walked 47600 steps today - the most he has ever done in one day. Not his longest distance though, because it involved a lot of ascent. His longest distance was probably 50 miles in 22 hours when he did the Caledonian Challenge. 
Today I did 12.2 km and 269 metres of ascent. 
James did 29 km and at least 930 metres of ascent. (This included his extra two hours of returning to Cuernos to look for his jacket.) 

W Trek Day 2 - Central to Cuernos

It was warm today. Too warm for me so I was very nervous about our walk from Rifugio Central towards Rifugio Frances. I was right to be worried as it turned out. 
When we were walking from the campsite to the rifugio for breakfast we saw the Torres del Paine all lit up pink by the rising sun; they looked stunning.  At breakfast we were chatting to a lively American girl called Emily aged 31 from New York, who has recently been laid off with five months pay, so she decided to travel. She was so enthusiastic and positive.
We packed our rucksacks and set off, on the same path as yesterday, but instead of turning up towards Chileno we walked up a hill to a viewpoint overlooking Lago Nordenskjöld. It’s very beautiful. The lake is pale turquoise because of the “rock flour” from the glacier suspended in it. On we walked, but instead of the lakeside path that I had anticipated, our path was very rough and high above the lake most of the time. 
It was a beautiful day but very very hot in the sunshine. The shaded woods that we walked through were pleasantly cool but we were mainly walking up or across rocky hillsides in the full sun. The paths were covered with pebbles at best and boulders at worst, and lined with shrubs including lots of chaura (aka murtillo) which is part of the Heather family, with bright red berries. There were also Notro / Chilean firebush, with a distinctive red flower. 
We had to climb over every headland and then descend to a river, sometimes crossing a rickety bridge, before climbing up the next headland. The saving grace was that the views of the lakes and mountains were stunningly beautiful. However I became increasingly hot and tired and after about six hours James had to carry my rucksack for me. I kept stopping to cool down and honestly I could have just lain down on the path and gone to sleep. James had to cajole me along which I know was very trying for him. We were supposed to walk to Rifugio Francès but we stopped 3.5 km short of it at Rifugio Cuernos. I was desperate and couldn’t have walked a step further. The receptionist was really helpful and swapped our booking. This was partly because I was exhausted but the main reason was that I was overheated. 
We had a lovely dinner at Rifugio Cuernos chatting to Fred and Karen from Vermont. 
Today James and I both walked 12.4 km and 319 metres of ascent but it was rough going and felt much more! I was very glad to get into our tent for an early night. 

The W Trek Day 1 - Central to Mirador Las Torres return

This was the start of the W Trek for us and I set off before dawn, about 7.15 a.m. because I knew that I would be slow. James went to breakfast, collected our box lunches and caught up with me after I had been walking for about an hour. The path was quite stony but well-signposted, and ascended gradually to Windy Pass which has fantastic views steeply down the valley with the river below, before descending to the Rifugio Chilena. It was a cool but very humid day and the mountains were swathed in clouds. A train of sure-footed pack horses passed me, being led by a gaucho on horseback; they were carrying supplies for the rifugio. James walked on to Mirador Base, Las Torres; the viewpoint at the base of the towers. I stopped at Rifugio Chileno after about 4 hours of walking (about double the time that it should have taken), which is a small rifugio set prettily among trees right down beside the river. It was extremely busy inside at first, probably because it had started to rain quite heavily. My new waterproof jacket (thank you James!) kept me nice and dry. I got a seat without any trouble and had a cup of coffee, and soon the rain went off and it brightened up. I had arranged to meet James there and I couldn’t leave without him because neither of our phones has reception. I chatted to a lovely Belgian lady called Clara who was waiting for her group to return, and James appeared about an hour and a half later and we walked back to the Rifugio Central together. By now it was very sunny and I was suffering in the heat, but I made it back and lay down in the shade of the tent before going for a refreshing shower. Dinner was slightly better than last night although the polenta left a lot to be desired; I don’t know what they had done to make it such a strange watery texture. We were both tired and after a wee walk to the welcome centre we had an early night. 
Today I did 11 km and 490 metres of ascent. 
James did 20.6 km and 980 metres of ascent.

Torres del Paine

We were picked up from our hotel at the civilised hour of 9 a.m. by a man driving a wee jeep, to travel the two hours into Torres del Paine National Park. Our alternatives would have been a 7.30 a.m. bus (too early since our proper walk doesn’t start until tomorrow) or a 2.30 p.m. bus (arriving a bit too late to enjoy exploring the area around the camp) We drove through wide grassland valleys, where sheep, cows and guanaco were grazing. Guacano are the type of llama which live in this area of Chile and they are absolutely beautiful. So vocal was my enthusiasm that the driver stopped so that we could take some photos of them. We also saw an ostrich and even flamingos wading in shallow Lake Amarga. The road to Torres del Paine is part of the Ruta del Fin del Mundo - the End of the World Route, which goes down through Chile from Puerto Montt for 1240 km to Tierra del Fuego at Ushuaia, Argentina or Puerto Williams, Chile.
When we arrived at the entrance to the National Park, there were the Torres del Paine towering above us in all of their glory, sharp and silvery grey in the sunlight; to one side of them sloped a big snowfield, still there despite this being the end of the Patagonian summer. We continued about 20 minutes to the large Rifugio Central which nestles beneath the Torres del Paine, and set off for a walk to find the beginning of tomorrow’s trail. This was not difficult because it’s well signposted. It was warm and sunny so the valley and the mountains looked glorious but those who know me will realise that a hot day does not serve me well for walking. I was soon sweltering. Luckily there was plenty of shade back at the campsite where rufous-collared sparrows (aka Andean sparrows) with their wee tufted heads were hopping about, and tired back-packers were returning from the mountains. We checked in at the campsite and were directed to our bizarre tent-on-stilts, climbing up a ladder to get into it. We were gratified at how clean and comfortable it is inside; the mattress covers the whole floor and there are various windows (covered with mosquito netting) which can be opened or closed by rolling the fabric up or down. On the other hand, you have to climb down the ladder if you need to go to the toilet in the middle of the night! Dinner was served at trestle tables in the main rifugio and was distinctly unexciting. The so-called aubergine soup was like grey water. It was also served at considerable speed because there were two sittings, at 7 and at 8.15, so the three courses had to be consumed in an hour. We chatted to a couple of pleasant German - Americans called Jürgen and Margit, who emigrated to the USA in their twenties for work and live in Phoenix, Arizona. We had an early night tucked up in our little tent. 

In Patagonia

We were picked up early from our hotel to catch the 08.53 plane from Santiago to Puerto Natales in the south of Chile; a three and a half hour flight down this long, narrow country. We were seated separately because we hadn’t booked seats until yesterday, but it turned out that the two seats beside James were both free. James asked the flight attendant to fetch me which she duly did. It meant that I got lovely extra leg room and an empty seat between us. I did have to forfeit my window seat which might have had a view of the Andes but the nice American couple beside me were delighted to gain the window seat and spare seat in the row, so it was win-win. 

We were taken by car to our hotel in Puerto Natales, a little town with a frontier feel; mostly Nordic style wooden houses, a small town square, and a big harbour. It’s set on a fjord called Ultima Esperanza with mountains all around it, and I was delighted that the temperature was pleasantly cool compared to Santiago. The Milodon is the local prehistoric beast, remains of which were found nearby and a large statue of which greets visitors to the town. We went for a walk to the fjord and along to the fishing harbour. We were delighted to see a variety of birds as we strolled along; a small bird of prey called the Chimango Caracara, black-necked swans, branta goose, southern lapwing) There were lots of restaurants and cafés, and after a good walk around the town we ate in an excellent fish restaurant called Bote (boat) where James enjoyed the local speciality of King Crab and for dessert I tried a mousse made with Calafate berries, Patagonia's version of a blueberry. It’s small and tart and contains more seeds than a blueberry; I loved it. James had a taste too which is great because apparently if you eat Calafate berries you will definitely return to Patagonia one day! Another walk to the fjord ensued to watch the sun set. 

Tuna for breakfast in Chile!

 We tried a strange greenish fruit at the breakfast buffet this morning which was full of quite large hard seeds. I asked the waitress what it was and she told me “it’s tuna.” Knowing that it definitely wasn’t fish, we investigated (thank you Google!) we found out that it is in fact prickly pear! * A first for both of us. We met Marcello at 9.30 and set off by car and then cable car to visit the impressive Statue of the Virgin Mary on the top of Cerro San Cristóbal. It has great views over the city and Marcello pointed out all the landmarks. There was also a grey band lying just above the city which is unfortunately pollution from all of the cars in this city of 8 million people. There is a little church and square near the top of the hill dedicated to the Basque immigrants to Santiago. They are not the only immigrants; in addition to the descendants of the Spanish and the indigenous people, there have been many waves of immigrants such as Germans, English, Venezuelans, Peruvians and many more so it is a very diverse city. Marcello himself has French, Spanish and Jewish ancestry. We descended from the hill by a little funicular railway and then walked through the pretty Bellavista area where we saw Pablo Neruda’s houses, and continued through the old town and the market. We ended up in the main square in the oldest part of the city; Plaza de Armas. It was attractive with lots of trees and a couple of statues as well as Santiago Cathedral. Finally we visited Constitution Square to see the presidential palace which was destroyed in the coup of 1973 when President Allende was killed, and then rebuilt. Marcello’s guidance and commentary were very interesting. It was however very hot so we were glad to arrive back at the air conditioning of the hotel in the early afternoon. We relaxed at the pool again before going out for dinner to the Galindo Restaurant near the market in Bellavista, which Marcello had recommended to us earlier as a good Chilean restaurant. The meal was delicious, very reasonably priced, and massive! We then wandered back into the market, pleasantly cooler in the evening but still warm, and had drinks sitting outside in the small square watching a young couple singing with guitar and flute called “Duo Caminhos” which means “two paths.” It was a lovely evening. 

* Tuna, as in the fish, is in fact “atún” in Spanish.