TIME TO RE-GROUP - ALASTAIR'S OFF TO UNI; ISHBEL GETS HER KEYS

It is now young Alastair's turn to leave home. He's 17 years old.  (They start school in Scotland at 5 years old.)  He has been accepted to study medicine at St Andrew's University which is in the north-east of Scotland.  

This is a country with many institutions for tertiary education: universities, colleges, The Conservatoire (music and drama in Glasgow), technical institutions, agricultural colleges etc etc.  I know he'll find St Andrew's a good fit; it's a university town with bookshops and an interesting history. It's one of the earliest universities established in the UK.  Alastair is interested in history and is a great reader.)

Time of head off!  As Iain used to say, "The best view is looking back!"

 Outside his dormitory door with young Ellie (10.5 in her last year of Primary School)

And things just keep getting better...Ishbel (18 3/4 yrs) now has her own flat.  She is going into her second year at Stirling University to be a Paramedic.  Here she is with her keys outside her new abode which is located in 'downtown' Stirling.

Harriet(12)  in June with her tea-bag hat.  She started her first year of high school last week.

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It is so good to follow their movements as they head off into their new lives. It certainly reminds me of heading off at roughly that age.  Yes, there were a few differences: I had a car; I had only one university to go to and it was a day's drive away in the big city of Vancouver.  I lived in dorms for the first year which I greatly loved and remember the joy of making new friends many of which I kept all my life.

However, sadly, some of these people are no longer with us.  Indeed, this is now a fact of life at my great age of 81 years. Folk are suffering from dementia (or their spouses are), some are undergoing cancer treatment; some, sadly, have died.  

Keeping up on the lives of the grandchildren certainly helps offset these sadnesses around me at the moment (like buses, everything seems to come along at the same time).  Luckily I inherited my mother's method of offsetting such times by keeping busy. She was a great one for 'kitchen therapy' i.e pull out the baking tins.

To that end here is something from my 'test kitchen'...Hobnob biscuits from the Great British Bake Off episode this week. The recipe is under the photo.

Pru Leith's Recipe for Hob Nobs

JULY ROUND-UP

John and Debbie visited us in May.  Here is John's photo of us in the garden. (Mairi, Ellie aged 10, Alastair 17, Harriet 12, and me.  Below that is John's selfie taken on Costa Clyde which includes Ishbel 18, in the photo.  

* * * * * * Garden and Yard Work * * * * * 

The garden is flourishing mainly due to the very hot weather we have been having. 

Ishbel gave me a morning's labour where we glued linoleum to the garage floor.  lI am quite pleased with our efforts.  It was definitely one of those jobs where you need another person.

XXXX

CATCHING UP

I have now upgraded my computer to an iMac4.  Everything is OK except it's like trying to arrange your bookselves after the books have been knocked off the shelves and are needing to be put back in order.  

Alastair has now had his 17th birthday.  He is due to finish secondary school this June and is preparing to head of to university.  He's in the middle of interviews at the moment.  Ishbel (18 yrs) is already away to Stirling Uni so that will leave 2 still at home.

Even thought it's winter I have managed to get out...an absolute necessity for me!

Balloch Park on Loch Lomond suffered storm damage, about 100 trees over, as a result of Storm Eowyn at the end of January.

The good news is that the sapling tree planting down 2 years ago by Chivas workers was well done and the young trees all survived.

Some very big, old trees came down.  The problem is that the ground is soaking wet and the roots are shallow.  Some were paritially rotten as well.

A yacht from across the loch probably at Cameron House got washed ashore at the edge of Balloch Park.  While high and dry it doesn't appear damaged.

FEBRUARY ROUND UP

A quick round up of February photos before the month is out.   

Harriet, aged 9.75 years.  

Ellie, aged 8 years.  

A good concert this month.  I am enjoying meeting a greeting a few people I haven't seen since before the pandemic.  Certainly, we are all getting out and about more.  Trips into town concerts are not so popular now as we can attend these concerts locally.

Iain, young Alastair, Ishie and I drove into Glasgow University to attend the Royal Philosophical Society of Glasgow lecture given by Sally Beamish, composer.  (We parked below the Glasgow University tower as seen above.)  The lecture was, as is too often the case, a disappointment: couldn't hear for all the usual reasons mainly to do with technology; interesting person with interesting subject was boring, i.e. did not talk to advertised topic (emotional responses to music etc) but just gave a "next slice please" type of list of her compositions starting from the beginning..... boring.

Spent a day with Ellie who is off school with the teachers' strike out and about doing a Nature Walk.  She kept a journal; I took photos.  The birch bark reminded me of many times in my childhood I admired it, peeled it off, tried to make things out of it etc etc.

Gavins' Mill in late February sunshine.

Harriet eating the pancakes we made on the day she was off school with the teachers' strike.

Ellie in Lennox park midst the snowdrops.

Snowdrops I planted in the park behind our house. 

THE WINTER'S BRIGHTENING by NIALL CAMPBELL

This year's BBC Radio 3's Carol Competition is set to Niall Campbell's poem which he reads here:

Look Here the Winter's Brightening [click on this to listen]

LOOK HERE! THE WINTER'S BRIGHTENING by Niall Campbell* 

Turn up the lights of a light-filled room.

Outside the winter’s closing in.

The night is cold but here’s the tune:

Look here!  The winter’s brightening!

Down goes the sun like a honeycomb.

Up goes the storming winds and rain.

But here’s moon, its full white bowl.

Look here!  The winter’s brightening!

Love sets a plate and lays the meal.

Love is the winter’s welcoming.

Its snow white door, the turning key.

Look here!  The winter’s brightening!

[* I took the words from his recitation as I can't find them printed anywhere!]

Our back garden this week

Early morning light

Daylight but no sunlight in the back garden

Sunlight hitting the trees

Alley heading to Bearsden Cross through New Kilpatrick Churchyard

* * * * * * * Ish and I went to IKEA and passed this (which is near IKEA store at Braehead) * * * * * * * 

Cruise ship at King George's dock which is is docked there.  We noticed people on board...migrants being temporarily housed.

* * * * * * * * * * Meanwhile the elves are busy * * * * * * * * * 

NOVEMBER ACTIVITIES

It's all go these days...

Sunday night after dinner... all 4 grandchildren.  I bought another Wentworth puzzle and it was worth every penny - peace and quiet at the 'craft table' for one whole hour!

Catching the last of the sunlight mid-November - Asda car park.

Forsythia and Cotoneaster berries at Loch 27 Canal Pub

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Remembrance Sunday in Milngavie Precinct.

Good concert with local lad Michael Mofidian singing and Anna Tilbrook accompanying on piano

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Balloch Park Bulb Planting

Crocuses, bluebells, fritillary and alliums being planted by volunteers.

   

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Coffee and scone time...

Located in the Vale of Leven Industrial Park is the Strathleven Deli where I sometimes stop for a coffee and some of their baking.  I had been told about it but could never actually find it.  After I eventually located it (diagonally opposite the Loch Lomond Brewery) the owner (I assume) was telling me that she is not allowed to advertise.  I do feel that is a bit hard when ordinary folk are just trying to make a living ... and are the people who are keeping Scotland from sinking into the North Sea.)

* * * * * * * * * * 

Back to baking

French 'muffins' which were on sale topped off with my own ganache and a Smartie  or two.

Ellie (7) won the raffle at school this week.  It is a Panda Bear wearing earphones "Disco Bear".  The other week she received a certificate for "Taking the lead in a discussion on bullying"!  Yes, I can just see that happening!

WEEK 75 CORONAVIRUS: LIFE GETTING BACK TO NORMAL

Indy is now 10 years old.  This recent photo shows him on his first day of school. Luna is Melanie's dog who replaces Koda who died recently.

Our social life is starting to return to its former days of occasion dinner parties, coffee with friends and evening events.  To that end we have been out 5 days in a row: dinner with Maggie and Brian, and Kate and Peter who are all well; coffee with Ken, Ken and Nancy at the Sports Centre locally and coffee with John and Margaret in Drymen; a fiddle concert in the Milngavie St Andrews Church and dinner over at CVD with the gang on Sunday 5 day of 5 lovely occasions. (Yes, we still are encouraged to wear masks and tables inside and out are socially distanced. 

There areas 'hot-spots' in Scotland with high rates of infection.  One is Oban. A chap was telling me how he got 'pinged' to say he had been in contact with someone at an event where they were all watching a live screening of a rugby game in the lounge of rugby club.  Big  outbreak there; his friend contracted covid (he didn't, as it turned out) but the consequences are always tough e.g. the friend was quite ill and he himself had to have a planned get-together cancelled and rescheduled.  

* * * * * * * * * * 

The children's orchestra is now starting up again. Another wonderful marker for life getting back to normal.