Colourful

What a day! My laser treatment went well; I'm delighted to say that it wasn't painful at all, only the drops to dilate my pupil were a wee bit nippy. The ophthalmologist was lovely and explained everything. I think the treatment has worked, I won't be sure until tomorrow because the pupil of my eye is still a bit dilated, but everything seems clearer. And most excitingly, the colours all seem brighter! I knew that the colours were dull in my left eye but I assumed that my right eye would have compensated. However I realised this afternoon that the world has become much more colourful again, it's amazing!

And then to add to my delight, this evening I have travelled south to Marlow in Buckinghamshire where I will be having a spa day with Jennifer tomorrow. The plane was delayed because of a system fault with the computer; the pilot told us that he had to switch off and on the power in order to reset it! He needed to do this twice which was mildly alarming! And the wings needed to be de-iced, so we ended up 40 minutes late. However I am now tucked up in my hotel bed and looking forward to the weekend. 

Positive thoughts

I'm feeling a bit apprehensive this evening because tomorrow morning I'm going to get laser treatment on my eye. Since my cataract operation in April 2015 which was supposed to make my eyesight all lovely and clear again, it has become more and more blurry. This is apparently because protein is sticking to the lens. At least I think that's what I was told. Anyway there is a treatment that involves blasting it off with a laser, which doesn't sound much fun, but hopefully would improve my sight in that eye. 

On the other hand I'm very much looking forward to visiting Jennifer this weekend; we're going for a wee spa day in Marlow, and I will be travelling down by plane tomorrow evening. So I will try to think of chatting and jacuzzis during the laser treatment; as Julie Andrews sang, "I simply remember my favourite things and then I don't feel so bad!"

Supermoon

Today I heard on the news that there was to be a supermoon, but I didn't expect to see it, because the clouds were heavy and grey all day. 

However this evening James called me outside and there it was, looking big and bright and spectacular in a clear sky, with clouds scudding across it which actually made it look all the more dramatic. Apparently it's the biggest supermoon since 1948, and this is due to a full moon coinciding with a particularly close approach to the earth. It is allegedly 14% bigger and 30% brighter than usual, according to the BBC website. It did look noticeably bigger and I was very glad to see it. The next really big one won't be until 2034.

Skeleton Stories

What to do on a dreich Sunday afternoon in Glasgow in November? Since our young scientists David and Chanel are visiting this weekend we decided that something intellectually stimulating would be in order. So we headed for the west end to visit the Hunterian Art Gallery which has an exhibition entitled "Skeletons: Our Buried Bones."

This consists of eight skeletons; four from the Museum of London and four from burial grounds across Scotland. As a future forensic anthropologist Chanel was very knowledgable about the very different life stories that the bones revealed, and her enthusiasm made it very interesting for all of us.

We then went to a cosy café on Byres Road for coffee and waffles with bacon and maple syrup which were just right for the miserable weather. And now we're home, relaxing in front of the lounge fire. 

The Broons

We had a lovely dinner at the Pipers Tryst restaurant this evening with Grandma, Ally, David and Chanel. The food was really good and it was a convivial occasion. Then we all went our separate ways; Chanel and David went to a concert, Ally went to a party, and the rest of us crossed the road to the Theatre Royal to see The Broons.

The Broons is a Scottish institution - a cartoon that has been published in the Sunday Post newspaper since 1936. My parents used to get the Glasgow Herald on weekdays, and the Sunday Post and the Sunday Express at the weekend, so I grew up with the cartoons Oor Wullie and The Broons. I had no idea that these newspapers were considered to be politically right wing until someone told me when I was in my early 20s - I was somewhat naive and it had never occurred to me that newspapers have political stances!

Anyway, I was keen to see The Broons because it was adapted for the stage by my friend Barbara's actor, playwright and director son, Rob Drummond. I wondered how on earth the old-fashioned cartoon would be translated to the stage. However Rob Drummond had done a great job of it; keeping the humour gentle and traditional, and poking fun at itself mildly which made the audience feel as if they were in in the joke. 

For example, the youngest Broon child was always known as "The Bairn" with no mention of her real name. In the play, a character says to Maw Broon,

"I've never heard the bairn's name!"

and Maw draws herself up disapprovingly and replies,

"And you never will!"

"Why not?"

"It's none of your business!"

This got a huge laugh from the audience. The plot (which mainly consisted of a series of misunderstandings with predictable but amusing consequences) was interspersed with songs popular song in the 1950s and 60s, sung by the talented cast, most of whom could also play musical instruments. It ended with a rousing medley of Scottish songs which had the audience on their feet joining in. It was all great fun. 

Back to A & E

Imagine my surprise yesterday when I got a letter from my local hospital to say that they had taken another look at the X Ray if my ankle and wanted me to come back in. Unwilling to take time off work (especially because I have a hospital appointment about my eye coming up which I can't arrange out with school hours) I have just spent an interesting Friday evening back at Accident and Emergency!

I had to wait for three and a half hours this time, but I wasn't surprised because I know that Friday evenings are busy. I settled down in the waiting room and read my Kindle peacefully. I was diverted, from time to time, by the interesting variety of other patients of all shapes and sizes. There was a wee girl who was in tears after a bad fall at gymnastics. There was a young man who was brought in wearing handcuffs and escorted by two police officers, who had a tight grip on his arms - he looked as if he had taken a terrible beating. Eventually I was taken through to the minor injuries clinic and sure enough my ankle is fractured after all. How annoying. I'm to wear a walking boot and it should heal ok in a few weeks because the bone hasn't moved. That means I have broken both ankles in the last 12 months. The sooner I get the vision fixed in my left eye the better, I'm sure that's why I'm falling so often.

Cuff links

This morning as I was getting ready for work, Ally appeared wearing a very smart suit with a white shirt and a red tie. He looked fantastic. He was on his way to perform a plea bargain as part of his Law Diploma course - it was a pretend plea bargain but in front of a real Sheriff, so it was very formal. I noticed that he was putting on a pair of gold cuff links that belonged to my Dad with the City of Glasgow crest on them. I was so touched that he had chosen them. And my Dad would have been so proud of Alasdair; I just wish that they had known each other for longer. 

This evening I was glad to hear from Ally that his plea bargain went very well.