It always comes to this, no matter how long a visit you have.
A visit to the big city.
It could almost be subtitled. “Busy doing noting”.
No plans for tomorrow yet.
Last night the bags were packed and we were ready to leave.
This a long story, so get comfortable and listen.
Today after breakfast we did a quick once over to make sure we hadn’t left anything behind and said our goodbyes to Simonne and got in Jamie’s car and were driven to Stowmarket for the first stage of our journey home. Said our goodbyes to Jamie and thanked him for the last week and walked over to the platform to wait for the train.
The platform was a lot busier than we’d expected, given that Christmas two days past. We were crammed into the vestibule of the train after using sharp elbows to make sure we would get in, even if we didn’t get a seat. We were the lucky ones. Others were left on the platform.
We both finally got a seat on the train, but it was an uncomfortable journey to Peterborough. I was beginning to worry that we wouldn’t make the connection, but when we got to Peterborough we found out that the Edinburgh train was running six minutes late. The six minutes eventually turned to 28 minutes, but we did get into the shelter as people who were heading for other destinations left its warmth for their trains.
Finally the train arrived and we were in the first class carriage, only to find that two folk were in our seats. Luckily an assistant was on our coach and the two chancers were ejected and we had seats and on our way. All the seats were taken on our coach and some folk were standing in the vestibule. We did manage to get a cup of coffee, a glass of red wine and Scamp had two buttered crumpets and I had a soggy microwaved veg sausage roll cold on the outside and hot as hell inside. My, First Class standards were falling. But worse was to come.
At the next stop the carriage became a lot busier with folk standing in the aisles and by the time we reached Doncaster there was no room to move in the carriage.
At the staff changeover at Newcastle, the crowding was a bit less and Scamp asked one of the attendants if she could please have a bottle of water and got the reply of “NO! I’m far too busy!” Standards certainly are slipping!
A family of four were taking up some empty seats as the crowding reduced. One of them went looking for water, but got the same reply from the harridan. Eventually after others were asking too, she relented and gave out water, but point blank refused to hand out beer or wine. I think a letter of complaint will be heading to LNER.
We were running 2 hours late by the time we eventually reached Edinburgh and just missed our connection to Croy. Then there was an automatic alarm telling everyone to evacuate the station immediately. Not knowing how long we’d have to get back in and what state the trains would be in, I suggested we walk down to the bus station and get the bus to Glasgow and a taxi home from there. Scamp agreed and we picked up another woman who had the same idea but didn’t know how to get to the bus station, so we three found the entrance went our separate ways to our buses.
We reached Buchanan Street without further problems just as the X3 arrived. So instead of getting a taxi, we chose the X3 to make sure we did actually get home after such an eventful and avoidable day.
PoD was a lovely sunset as we crossed the River Tyne at Newcastle.
Things I’ll remember for a long time:
Tomorrow will hopefully be a day of relaxation.
In the sunshine!
Scamp was out this morning to her FitSteps class. When she came back we drove down to the station and got the train to Glasgow.
This was September Weekend, a Glasgow holiday on the last weekend in September and we expected the station to be mobbed, but it was the Alloa train that came in first and they don’t celebrate the Sept Weekend, so the train was half empty. A nice easy run into Glasgow.
Had coffee first in Nero where the Learner Barista got the orders mixed up and Scamp got the two shot latte and I got the single shot americano. She’ll learn, but hopefully fast before she gets her ‘jotters’.
We were going looking for a pair of leather gloves for Scamp. She had lost her good pair of purple gloves a few months ago and now that the weather was getting colder, she needed a new pair. First stop was JL. They had loads of them at loads of different prices, but no purple ones, or none she liked anyway. She did seem stuck between a light brown pair and a grey pair. Not sure, we walked down through the city centre to M&S in Argyle Street.
On the way there we noted all the differences that had occurred in the four or five years since Covid. Buildings where there used to be car parks. Shops that had changed their names in those intervening years. The city seems to be in a constant state of flux. We did find leather gloves in M&S, but they just didn’t look as comfortable or as well made as the ones in JL. I could tell by the look on her face that these were not the gloves she wanted.
We left, deciding to go back to JL. On the way we took a detour through the fun fair that had sprung up in two days since Alex and I had wandered round it. I got the shot I should have taken on Wednesday of the inside of the entrance to the St Enoch’s subway, shot on the ideal lens this time. I was pleased with that.
We walked back up Buchanan Street looking for somewhere for lunch. We tried to get in to an interesting place called Mowgli, but we’d have to wait for about two and a half hours to get a table. It wasn’t that interesting, but we may go back to it again. Instead we chose All Bar One. Scamp had, surprise – surprise, Fish ’n’ Chips and I had Chicken Pad Thai. Service was slow, but the food, when it came was good and Scamp’s fish was massive.
Left there and walked up to JL where Scamp chose the light brown gloves which looked really nice on her. On the way we’d picked up a birthday card for Ian, June’s friend. We wrote it and Scamp went to post it while I browsed the bargains in JL, of which there were few.
Got through the ticket gate just in time to catch a train going to Alloa via Croy. Alloa folk seem strange. There were plenty of seats, but they seemed happier cluttering up the doorway. Maybe they don’t get out much.
Drove home and had a decent cup of coffee, Scamp of course, having white tea. Dumped the photos and posted three of them on Flickr. The best in my opinion was another view of the subway station at St Enoch.
Tomorrow I think we may be dancing. It looks like we do have a quorum, but only just enough folk.
A good day in The Toon.
Today we were going all posh!
We were all booked for lunch at The Kitchin in Edinburgh today and as we would be having a glass or two, we weren’t driving. None of us were.
We took a taxi from the house to the railway station and caught the train to Edinburgh (posh day, posh name for Embra!). Got off at Haymarket and walked up to our usual Nero. Suitably refreshed we walked up the Grassmarket because Simonne hadn’t been there before. Then on to the West Bow with its crowds of tourists and quirky shops and houses. Marvelling at the queues of Harry Potter fans waiting to get in to the HP shop. From there we walked down the newly reopened Playfair Steps to Princes Street.
Round the corner from Princes Street we found the tram stop that would take us to Leith. This was the first time any of us had been on the trams in Edinburgh. It’s a very comfortable, if slow way to get around the city and we enjoyed the ride. Scamp had done all the research and told us we’d be getting off at The Shore. From there it was only a short walk to The Kitchin. I could list all our choices from the menu, but instead I’ll just post a menu and let you guess! Not long after we were enjoying our ‘amuse bouche’ someone asked us if we were enjoying our meal. I thought it was one of the many waiters and turned to reply and there was Tom Kitchin himself!! I think Scamp was dumbstruck. This was the first time I’ve seen him mingling with the guests in the restaurant. In fact this is the first time I’ve seen him in the restaurant.
The food was just as lovely as you’d expect it to be in a Michelin star restaurant and with the ‘paired wines’ we were taken on a journey through the vineyards of the world by the sommelier. The same one we’d had the last time we had been there. Eventually we’d eaten our fill and sampled the wines and it was time to go.
The weather had been dull when we arrived, but when we headed for the tram stop the sun was shining and it being late afternoon by then, that lovely golden light appeared. That’s when I got today’s PoD which is The Water of Leith and the floating hotel, Ocean Mist.
We took the tram back to St Andrews Square and walked over to the station and the train back to Croy, then a taxi with a wisecracking driver took us home.
While Scamp, Simonne and Jamie watched Masterchef I sat and drew my reading of today’s prompt – ‘Shallow’. The story that goes with it is: “Those who are interested in scuba driving are generally recommended to spend some time paddling in shallow water. At least, that what I was told by a friend one day. A friend who doesn’t even swim! I think he may be joking with me.” Total fantasy, but it filled the comments box!
Tomorrow I think we will take it easy after todays excesses. Jamie and Simonne, however, are hoping to be out climbing again.
We were out fairly early (for us) to watch the Great Scottish Run.
We got the train in to Glasgow and were both amazed at the number of runners on the train, already dressed in shorts and vests. It was a lovely morning though and when we got to Glasgow, the start for the race at George Square was already thronged with folk. Some were the 10k runners who had already completed their race and were walking around with their medals dangling from their necks. Some were friends and family of those whose Half Marathon was still to begin. Some were just like us, folk who came to cheer on the runners, bang on the plastic barriers to make a noise and also to take photos. I was in the ‘take photos’ category.
We found a space in the barrier on the starting straight and watched the runners practising their starts before the race proper started. Then, almost exactly on time the gun went off and so did the runners. Elite runners first, then the ‘good’ club runners, followed by the less serious group and finally those just hoping to finish and be able to walk tomorrow.
I must admit I wasn’t as enthralled with the race as I had been with the cycle race a month or so ago. However I was impressed with the pace everyone set, even the less serious group were making a good show of things. Scamp, a marathon runner herself stood and clapped and banged on the barriers as well as shouting encouragement. I could see that she wished she’d kept up with her running, but it’s easier out in the countryside where we used to live. Not so in the urban area we’re in now. Not so safe either.
After we watched all of the estimated 20,000 go through the starting gate and face the hill up St Vincent Street I managed to get just four photos of the runners taking up the entire width of the road. And every shot was out of focus!!! Thankfully I didn’t know that until I got home. Maybe I should replace that shonky, unreliable kit lens. Some day, maybe I will.
We found a Cafe Nero that didn’t have a queue right out the door (almost, but not quite) we had a coffee and a pastry each to stave off our hunger pangs. Then we walked over the the Jamaica Bridge to watch the elite runners turn on to Clyde Street and head for the pastures of Glasgow Green. That’s where I got the shot of the floating runner from. Taken with that same shonky, unreliable kit lens!
After we’d watched the runners coming round that bend and saw one poor bloke being supported by an older man, maybe his father, and felt relieved when both of them started jogging on towards The Green. After that we headed home.
In the afternoon, and after lunch, Scamp went out to plant some bulbs we’d bought during the week and then went on to cut the front grass too. I knew I’d have at least one decent PoD shot among the 500 odd I’d taken, so I started moving folders around the SSDs to create enough space to allow me to archive the September photos. It took a while, probably a good hour or more. If I’d been using external hard drives, I’d still be working at it tomorrow too.
Dinner for Scamp was salmon with cauliflower and potatoes. I roasted a large lamb shank in the le cruiset in the oven. I got it in the butchers at 
Muirhead and it was pre-marinated in herbs and mint. Truly it was delicious with the same veg as Scamp’s. There’s some left over that I might freeze or just eat during the week.
Final east for the day was to do the first Inktober 2023 sketch where the prompt was ‘Dream’. You can see my rather hastily drawn sketch here. Not my best work, but I’m hoping I improve as I remember how to do this sketching lark.
Tomorrow we’re booked for lunch with June & Ian and Crawford & Nancy. Should be a lively lunch!
We were going in to Glasgow today for lunch.
Scamp had given me an Itison voucher a week or so ago, and today we were using it to have lunch in Cafe Andaluz in St Vincent Place. There was no way I was driving in today, and we weren’t taking the X3 either. Instead we got the number 435 Canavan’s bus from outside St Mo’s school to Croy station, then caught the train in to Glasgow. Scamp wanted to get vacuum seal bags from a shop in the town and I wanted to get new pens to encourage me to prepare for Inktober. We ended up getting a few more things, but we did get the bags. Then we walked down to Argyle Street to get the morning coffee in Nero. While we were in there I saw a print on the wall of a mechanical technical drawing, a stepped section, it’s called too awkward to explain and of little interest except to me who had to teach folk how to draw it, but more important, how to visualise it. High flown stuff for a Monday morning.
We wandered round M&S with Scamp trying to encourage me to get a new jersey, but nothing took my fancy. Walked up Queen Street and, while Scamp went looking for shower gel and fancy chocolates, I bought a couple of Tombow Fudenosuke brush pens and a book about sketching architecture from Cass Art. Then we met up again in Buchanan Street and wandered around Buchanan Galleries until it was time to go the Cafe Andaluz.
We had a glass of Sangria each as a starter. The food was lovely 5 tapas dishes to share, I think my favourite was the prawns that Scamp ordered, my next best favourite was Albondigas, which is spiced pork & beef meatballs in a tomato 
sauce. Unfortunately the Spanish black pudding with apple chutney we were both going to have was finished. However we did enjoy the meal and then Scamp noticed two mojitos going out to a table and decided she’d have one. I asked if they could make a barraquito and the girl taking the order just said “Yes!” Would it be the same as I’d had in Tenerife, I asked myself as I waited. It certainly was, in fact it was in a bigger glass and tasted even better. It’s an alcoholic drink made with layers of Condensed Milk, Licor 43, Espresso and Foamed Milk with a sprinkling of cinnamon on top. It honestly seems a shame to stir it up and drink it. Scamp’s Mojito seemed a bit of a disappointment, being not as alcoholic as some she’s had.
We walked back to the station and realised we’d just missed the train home, but Scamp sat and waited while I went out to take some photos. As I was walking out of the station a woman stopped to ask me what the building was in the square and I explained it was Glasgow City Chambers and told her my brother says it’s beautiful inside and if she gets a chance to visit it, she should. She and her friend were going on a Hop On – Hop Off bus the next day and she said she’d ask the driver. That was my good deed for the day. PoD turned out to be a photo of the inside of the busy station which might have taken a long to build, but is so much lighter and airier than its predecessor.
We got the fast train to Croy, walked across the road and got the bus back to St Mo’s school then walked the rest of the way. 10,171 steps so far today and counting. For some reason, typing doesn’t generate steps. The old Fitbit did record key presses as steps! We did record some steps in the evening with a practise session of the new Wednesday night waltz. Mystifying and confusing steps for me. Apparently devised by an Australian, which might explain everything.
That was a quite excellent day in Glasgow. It did rain today, but not very heavy rain and thankfully it waited until we were in the restaurant.
We have no real plans for tomorrow, but apparently hoovering may be on the cards.
A small town in Greece.
Just really a main street with lots of touristy shops. Like so many of the ports on this cruise, it was only a berth to allow folk to be bussed to more interesting places. Today’s buses were going to Olympia. We weren’t on those buses, we made the mistake of going on a wee train. Forty five minutes waiting for the driver to drum up enough custom to make it worth his while driving us round a few miles up hill and back down again. If you ever get the chance to pre-book a ticket on one of these tours, walk away. All the folk on our train wished they had. But there were highlights in Katakolo too and here are some of them.
Things we’ll remember:
Meeting my brother for a wander around the West End. Glasgow West End, obviously!
Scamp was adamant that she didn’t need or want the car today, so I thanked her and drove to the station to catch a train to Glasgow. Did a bit of window shopping in JL, but it gets poorer every time I visit the “toyshop” where they keep all the cameras. Except there were no cameras for sale there, just second-hand laptops or iPads. Not called second-hand of course. They were “refurbished” or “returned goods”, but everyone knows what they are. Nothing worthwhile for me.
Walked down to Buchanan Street bus station to meet Alex and we got a bus out to Kelvingrove. We had walked a fair bit, must have been about 100m, so we had to take a break for lunch. By then the crowds had gathered to listen to the organist’s daily recital and we left, but not before I took a shot of three men in a dark corner of the main hall. One was a statue, one was a human, one was a painting, but they are all men, all looking in different directions, as men do! I’d only noticed the statue when I was taking the shot, but the other two were revealed when I was processing it at home, and it became PoD.
We left by the back door, which, allegedly is really the front door. Google “kelvingrove art gallery back to front” and make your own mind up. There’s definitely a coverup somewhere.
We walked up the hill in the general direction of Glasgow University and found the Hunterian Art Gallery. There we wandered round the rooms within the gallery all hung with paintings some with labels, but most not. I couldn’t really understand the reasoning. The guide states that it’s the way pictures used to be hung. I think they were just too lazy to label them, or maybe they’d lost the original labels and didn’t know what was in the pictures, especially the abstracts.
I enjoyed looking at the paintings, especially those by Samuel Peploe and Edward Hornel, but I knew Alex wasn’t really impressed, so we went in search of the Hunterian Museum which is nearby, but tucked away in a corner of Glasgow University. That’s Scotland for you. Hide away the good stuff or folk will want to come in and look at it!
All the things that were wrong with the gallery were sorted in the museum. There were some horrible looking things preserved in formalin in glass jars. But there were also fascinating things like an Egyptian mummy in its sarcophagus and an ancient computer that was constructed to solve complex algebraic functions and seemed to be run by allowing balls to run over metal tracks. I wish now I’d taken more time to photograph the building itself with its exposed wooden trusses in the roof. I might go back again some time, all being well.
When we had had enough culture for the day we returned to Kelvingrove for a coffee and a blether without the interruption from the organist. Then we went back into the town, got off at Charing Cross and walked down Sauchiehall Street. I caught the train home and Alex got the bus. We agreed that we maybe need to go further afield next time. I suggested Aviemore on the 50p express bus and Alex fancied Edinburgh, also 50p, but with a more regular service.
It was Chicken Milanese for dinner tonight and it was just as delicious as it usually is. Scamp was the chef, of course.
Tomorrow I’ve to collect my new glasses after I’ve given a little drop of blood at the health centre.
