Travel notes: midgefest

One of the most remarkable things about our trip so far was the wildlife. In particular the birds. At the campsite we saw literally a dozen or more different species, fairly tame, in fact in the case of one robin, extremely cheeky. I was sat in the tent, when he flew in and sat on the arm of the chair, where he deposited a small white poo. He looked at me unblinking and I stared back. He then hopped down and wandered further into the tent, before deciding to sit in the doorway where he was joined by an equally bold nuthatch. He came back into the tent once more, but usually was quite happy just to sit on the car door watching us. We also saw barn owls further into the holiday…

We wrote postcards on Iona and it transpired that my partner had told a few people that she was planning to ask me to marry her. So we spent a happy hour writing cards all ending with the words, she said yes! The ring was gorgeous but sadly too big! My partner was so disappointed but she has since phoned the jewellers who have ordered us a smaller one and we’re going to pick it up today. I felt overwhelmed; happy and very in love. And the setting was so perfect – hot sun, white sand, blue sea… it turned out that my partner’s grandmother and also her mother had visited Iona so we need to take our children to make it 4 generations in a row to visit this beautiful island.

Our next stop was Fort William; an outdoorsy sort of place, because of the nearby Bens – the most famous being Ben Nevis, of course. We bought new shoes (there’s always time to buy new shoes), ate an interesting breakfast (hot rolls: pork, apple sauce and stuffing for me, roasted vegetables for the soon-to-be-missus) and then we were back in Peggy our trusty steed to take us to Braemer, the heart of the Highlands and where the Highland games take place every year. We were staying in a youth hostel that turned out to be quite literally better than some of the many B&B’s and hotels I’ve stayed in.

The scenery on the drive was achingly beautiful. It was odd us ending up in Braemar because we were going to the Outsider festival in Aviemore. For those of you that know you’re geography Aviemore is on the north side of the Cairngorms, Braemar is on the south. But it was the only place that had room at the inn. The festival meant youth hostels, campsites, B&B’s had all filled up months before. It was a three day event but we were just going on the Saturday to see Capercaillie and KT Tunstall. The rain poured down and if you saw pictures of Glastonbury happening the same weekend, you’ll have an idea of what was happening hundreds of miles to the north.

It was a 2 hour drive to get there, often on a single track road. Like a grey ribbon we could see the road stretched out for miles and miles in front of us twisting, dropping sharply and rising steeply through the mountains. It’s exactly the kind of driving I like!

We parked and were just in time for Capercallie who were awesome. My partner had seen them before, but I hadn’t and it was fantastic. They played for 1.40hr and with the exception of about twenty minutes, it rained constantly. But we didn’t care!

KT Tunstall wasn’t on till much later. We ate and then went back to the car to get dry and warm, deciding in the end to go for a drive. We thought it would be a good idea to drive up a mountain! We climbed 809ft and for the last 50-80ft we were driving in thick cloud. It was eerie. Visibility was down to less than 5 metres and I drove very, very slowly! After that experience, there was only one thing for it, go get some fish and chips and then head back to the Festival!

KT Tunstall was amazing. Sorry, I do realise everything so far has been amazing, great, fantastic… but it’s true. Her voice is incredible and she had the very soggy crowd in the palm of her hand. Her charisma and humour were almost as big as the stage and definitely look out for her new album and the new video where she does robotic dancing! We faced a long drive back with big smiles on our face, soon to be replaced by fierce concentration. Mountain roads in driving rain with shit-poor visibility (at times less than 2 or 3 metres) required every ounce of focus and driving skill I had. At its worst, I was driving at less than 15 miles an hour for long periods. But we did see deer, sheep, a frog, three barn owls, two very unusual birds (haven’t looked them up yet) and a gazillion rabbits. And we did arrive back safe and sound.

It was around this time that I discovered the Scottish midges which I thought I was immune too, had actually been secretly munching on me. I woke up to find I had dozens of bites, including on my stomach and face. Luckily they didn’t itch too much but clearly there was Glastonbury, there was the Outsider and there was midgefest and I was the main attraction.

Our last day in Braemar was my half year birthday. I got chocolates and a great leather Quiksilver wallet and we went for a drink in the evening. (My partner thinks it’s unfair that my birthday gets overlooked being on Christmas and insists that we celebrate my half year birthday every year.)

There are surprisingly quite a few places to eat and drink in Braemar but we choose the Fife Arms. My partner went up to the bar and a few seconds later I heard laughter and looked over to see an animated conversation between her and someone behind the bar. The manager of the bar was a friend who she hadn’t seen since she was 12. But then perhaps we shouldn’t have been too surprised, that was the sort of holiday we were having, astonishing and delightful and a lot of fun…

Travel notes: sheep on a beach

(Top photo: House for an Art Lover. Bottom photo: Oban - from the ferry to Mull- taken by my partner)


We left an hour later than planned on the Saturday both secretly wondering whether it was going to be a problem that the boot and the back seat were full of luggage, camping gear and other equipment but both really excited...

First stop, Carlisle, our jumping off point to Scotland if you like. We were going to be staying with a friend I hadn’t seen in 8 years. We had a great time catching up and finding out what was new with our lives (quite a lot as you can imagine!) We went into the Carlisle that evening but I was so tired from the drive (and also lack of sleep from the night before) that we headed back after one drink. We’ve invited them down to London, hopefully they’ll come, and hopefully I won’t be so tired…!

We drove via Gretna Green (not the most inspiring place to get married in my opinion) and then up through Dumfries to our final destination for that day, Glasgow. We drove through the most spectacularly valley on the way to a village called Elvanfoot (the most magical place name ever!). Because we were the only car, I was safe to pull to a stop and just gaze up and around me. It was fantastic and a portent of the kind of scenery that would become an everyday fixture in our holiday lives.

We met a friend of my partner’s – unofficially her godmother – and she took us down to two festivals; one a street party, the other a Mela (big Asian festival). The atmosphere was terrific. Time was catching up though and we jumped back in the car to drive to the other side of Glasgow to stay with another friend and her partner. We ended a long and busy day with beer, gossip and good food.

By the time we had down some shopping in the city the next morning (we never meant to go shopping, honest…) we only had time for a gorgeous lunch and one of the two museums we had planned to visit. So we decided to take in House for an Art Lover that afternoon and Kelvingrove the next day. HfaAL was built in ’96 to the exact specifications of designs drawn up by Charles Rennie Mackintosh before his death (obviously before his death because that would be quite weird and black, we think, would have featured more heavily…)

It’s not that big a place (three rooms and a corridor full of information) but I suppose the upkeep of the house and grounds warrants the cost of entry. Anyway, it was quite interesting and I got some good photos (though I was cursing my lack of technical knowledge as I struggled with deep shadows and piercing shards of sunlight. Some photos did come out though.)

The next day was Kelvingrove a sort of Scottish equivalent of the British Museum and really worth a visit. It’s free to get in and the displays are fantastic; interesting, varied and very innovative. Where else would you get a full sized stuffed elephant called Sir Roger and an exhibition about violence against women rubbing shoulders?

We were on the road again afterwards, to Oban, where we would be camping for three days and as it turned out, where the most wonderful thing would happen…

The campsite was great! Small, picturesque and with fantastic and very clean facilities, it was 12 miles outside Oban and there was a bar serving food on site. I polished off steak and chips quite easily that night, not to mention three pints of Guiness...

The first day we drove into Oban, had a nice big breakfast, bought ferry tickets for a trip to Iona the next day and then pottered around the shops, buying a few presents for people. We found a lovely beach and sat in the sun for half an hour, marvelling at the beautiful islands and scenery visible off shore. Later we bought the ingredients for our dinner and then had one of the best meals ever back at the campsite (more impressive is that this gourmet feast - pumpkin ravioli, asparagus and cherry tomatoes – was made using only a camping stove and saucepan!)

It was up early the next day to get the ferry across to Iona, a beautiful and mysterious island where Columba (which is Latin for dove) arrived from Ireland, supposedly exiled after a terrible war in Ulster which its said he caused by plagiarising a book in a time when the ownership of books indicated power and wealth. Christianity had already arrived in Scotland but he was instrumental in spreading it still further and setting up the Celtic Church. To this day there still exists a religious community on Iona. The Reverend of which has recently argued in a very important meeting of the Church of Scotland that gay people enrich the church and the community and are as welcome to her church as any other member of society. Go lady vicar!

Anyway, back to our holiday! It’s a bit of a trek to get to the island: we drove to Oban, took a ferry to Mull, caught a coach through Mull, and then another ferry to Iona. But it was worth it! It was a blazing hot day and we walked through the island (a tiny place) with me snapping happily at the various cows and sheep we passed until eventually arriving at a beach of white sand and blue clear water. Sheep wondered past on the beach as if it was the most natural thing in the world and as we sat down, my partner got something out of her bag, went down on one knee and asked me to marry her. I said yes….

Is it tomorrow yet?!

Lot’s of last minute things to do… Mr. Pluto had a vet’s appointment for his annual MOT and booster vaccinations this morning, I needed to draw out my holiday money, I definitely needed to buy a jam doughnut from Gregg’s the bakers, the car needed to be washed and some last minute laundry needed well, laundering. I am happy to say they’ve all been done. I’ve also managed to buy myself a fabulous new bag for work from Storm. (What can I say, I multi task.)

In between all this I’ve been working (yes, really) and have achieved quite a lot. Not as much as if I didn’t have all the distractions previously listed but enough. I also worked really hard yesterday to sort everything out.

I won’t be able to blog much when I’m away – if at all, so bear with me. I’ll try and do a couple of lines in Glasgow and Edinburgh (toward the end of the trip) but I doubt there will be much in between!

See you soon!

Waiting for chemo (as opposed to Godot)

I’m panicking about getting everything done before I go on leave, so what do I decide to do? Blog. Because that makes sense…

Anyway, it will all get done because that’s what I do. I get things done but it’s going to be a hard couple of days and I may need to buy some emergency chocolate to have on stand-by.

Yesterday was pretty harsh. Guy’s have a new chemo unit on the 10th floor. Fantastic views over the city, but somehow it felt a little more impersonal because it was bigger and much busier. But I’m sure it’s much more efficient getting lot’s of people in for their treatment at the same time, because the thing with chemo is that once you have the drip in, you just sit there. A couple of people are very ill and so need more attention but really, most people just sat back and read or snoozed – a very undemanding bunch.

We spent time talking to a woman who has terminal cancer and it tore my heart out. She was supposed to die last September but sheer bloody mindedness means she’s still fighting. She’s going to do a college course because she’s bored waiting to die. Afterwards I felt claustrophobic and angry and so I went for a long walk and pulled myself together.

They gave my mum massive doses of herceptin and chemo. Normally herceptin takes about half an hour, yesterday it took an hour and a half, and I think chemo is about an hour but it took two hours. We were going out of our minds by the end of it. Sometimes I watched the bags drip whatever it was (different things for different cancers) through the long tubes and into the back of people’s hands and each time I said, that’s it, that’s the drop that will make the difference; that will turn the tide. That’s the one right there. I hope I was right.

I had a pizza and a cry when I got home and then we sorted out laundry and packed our bags for Scotland. I didn’t sleep very well last night and at 4:16 this morning I was wide awake listening to the racket the birds were making…

What to pack?

I always pack lots of tops, probably too many, but even with trousers etc. I seem to be doing a good impression of Paris Hilton (I’m not taking an orange jumpsuit if that’s what you're thinking..) - two pairs of jeans, two pair of lightweight combats, two pairs of shorts and some PJ trousers to retain modesty at all times…

They say (who are they?) pack the same as you would for two weeks away as you would one week because you can always do some laundry… true, but what about the fact that on hols you will almost always go through several outfits a day? You do stuff during the day, and then at night you go to the pub or out for a nice meal and need to change again. Anyway, I’ve only put my tops into the bag so far and already I’m worried about space. (And I need another bag altogether for all our chargers; phone chargers, camera chargers, torch chargers, sat nav chargers...!)

But I have to say, it’s nice to have something so mundane and harmless to worry about on the day mum starts back on chemo. In fact that’s maybe why I’m investing so much energy into the dynamics of getting too much into too little… classic distraction technique!

The photo from yesterday was taken as I was driving! Actually, that’s half true, I was driving but had stopped because traffic was so bad and I happened to glance over and see the Go Gay dry cleaners. I can’t believe I hadn’t seen it before! I grabbed for my camera just as the traffic started to move and almost gave up on getting my camera out in time, but managed it eventually, fired off three shots and drove on without holding up the traffic. But at that stage, I didn’t even know how well the pictures had come out. I so want to go back and ask them why they called their business Go Gay – are gay people the only people who dry clean?!

Anyway, I need to get on. Packing can be frustrating but I do love holidays! :0)

Go team gay!

I appear to be ready for my close up...

One week before we hit the open road… I can’t believe it’s come around so quickly! We meant to start packing this weekend, but never got round to it, so I’m now hoping to do a little each night (I can’t rely on doing it all the night before because I’m at college). We’re dropping Mr Pluto off with friends on Friday night and heading off early Saturday morning. It’s very exciting! The car is going to be packed to the gunnels with luggage, camping gear and camera equipment. I can’t imagine what it must be like to go away on a trip like this without a car, but some people do…

I spoke to T the producer on Sunday. His production company want to produce my film script! Part of me is as giddy as a kipper, but part of me is still cautious… He has advised me to seek legal advice and Slightly has volunteered to call an agent friend of his today to ask her what I should do and who I should speak to. But as he pointed out, I could get an agent on the strength of this because I am not going to them saying, ‘hello, you don’t know me… in fact no one knows me… but can you get me some work anyway?!’ I’m saying, ‘someone has offered to buy my script, can you represent me?’ A totally different kettle of fish I’m sure you’ll agree.

So there you have it, in the space of 2 months I’ve been offered a photography commission and I’ve sold the option on a script… anyone would think I’m clever… maybe I am!?

It’s a crazy old game this film malarkey though. Anything can happen and it’s like an assault course just to get to the point where the film goes into production, let alone gets finished and then distributed. So keep everything crossed for me, but I won’t be putting the deposit down on a small holding just yet! :0)

(This is my 201st posting!)

And the award goes to...

I’m a very tired goose… I went to the dinner last night and I am glad I went. Especially in light of realising we’re away for the AGM. The venue could not be faulted and congratulations must go to the boys upstairs for their work in putting on the dinner. From the gorgeous posh entrance, the sweeping staircase up to a very stylish function room lit with candles and chandeliers; it was no surprise that the VIPs from the RFU and the Essex RFU called it the best dinner they had ever been too! (And they go to a lot!) I was sat with some of my favourite people – Supporters’ Sec’ and his partner which I was very pleased about and the two newly weds Mr Finance and his partner. The food was nice, not the best food I’ve ever tasted although the onion soup and strangely, the mash potato, were fabulous!

The speeches took less time this year and our main speaker the president of the RFU was amusing and topical. It surprises people but our Chairman gives a very good speech as well, light-hearted but actually quite stirring in places. The awards were much better for two reasons: there were fewer speeches and I actually won one! Yes, the penny didn’t even drop when Sean accidentally said in his speech ‘she’ – he started saying I don’t think people realise how much this person does for the club and how much SHE has achieved. At which point everyone looked at me, and about 2 seconds later I realised he meant me! My award was for service to the club and it did make me very proud, but what made me even prouder was the standing ovation and huge round of applause I also received! I must have been beaming! I also got a bunch of lovely flowers and a bottle of fine Irish whiskey for selling the most raffle tickets! So I came away with a lot more than I took in.

Because of stress and tiredness I felt very claustrophobic at times and despite the pleasant meal, excellent company and of course the recognition of my work – which is very important to me – I did find it a difficult evening.

There are some people connected to the club though that are very special and dear friends and seeing them, regardless of my own circumstances, is always worth the effort of getting gussied up and sitting through long speeches!

Pluto had a housemate yesterday and today, his best friend Charlie. It’s been fun having another dog in the house and I think Pluto has enjoyed the company. We went to Crystal Palace yesterday and will probably go to the woods today before Charlie goes home. They’ve been as good as gold. They act like they’ve lived together all their lives and are so comfortable and relaxed with each other, happy to snooze in separate rooms or lie next to each other…

Apparently waking up uncomfortable or with a sore back is very common so I must tell you, we bought a mattress topper in an effort to beat (not literally) my achy back. We have a really good orthopaedic mattress but far too often I was waking up with a really sore spine. I’ve changed pillows and tried all sorts of different things, but eventually I saw for sale a mattress topper. It’s like an egg carton, its thick dimpled foam. When you first get into bed it feels very strange, but you know what, it’s really comfortable and this morning, no achy back. It’s too soon after only one night to say whether this is the cure for my muscle ache, but I’m very hopeful!

Enjoy your weekend.

Cancer, not as much fun as you might think...

I spoke to my mum last night after her latest hospital appointment (this one I didn’t go to), it’s definite, it’s cancer. Cancer of the sternum; it’s also possibly spread back under her arm. Chemo next Wednesday and then 9 more sessions. We’re hoping that because this is the 2nd time and they know how ill chemo made her last time (which is why she only had 3 instead of 6 sessions) they will be able to look after her a little better. She will probably be on Herceptin for the rest of her life, and after chemo, more radiotherapy…

She wasn't crying, or even particularly upset when we spoke, rather she seems resigned to the fact that she has to go through it all over again, and to be honest, so do I. I mean, it’s not like we have a choice.

Slept very deeply last night with weird disturbing dreams. Not surprising really, but I was almost glad to get up this morning… and that’s not like me!

I have the rugby dinner tonight and if I wasn’t really looking to it before, now I really don't want to go. It’s not like I’ll be missed. I’ll have another coffee and then see how I feel. I don’t have to make a decision right this moment and to be honest, I need to get on with some work!

Jingle bells

Less bouncy enthusiasm today and more of a strong desire to go back to bed… still happy though! After doing some housework and watching NCIS last night I decided to turn in and read, but within minutes I was fast asleep and didn’t stir until this morning’s very unwelcome alarm.

The car fuse that operates the clock, the radio and the cigarette lighter blew last night and so I am without a radio. After one commute all I can say is I have to get it fixed! I was singing to myself (Jingle Bells in the style of Jack Cousteau and Dean Martin anyone?!) and eventually I drove myself round the twist. Annoying yourself is always a worry because it’s not like you can just walk away…

Reflexology again tonight – I think it is making a difference. I seem to have shrugged off two colds and although tired (I am always tired!) I seem in good health; mentally and physically. Which when you consider the stress I / we’ve been under is really saying something. Our friend is a student practioner but already she is very confident, self assured and calm so it’s easy to forget she’s still learning. With everything that’s going on though, it feels good to be doing something to take care of myself. We don’t value our health at all – our society is all about the cure, not about the prevention. I need to sort out regular massage now and improve my diet and I’ll be invincible!

Great karma

I once started a blog “some days are just better that others” well I hate to plagiarise myself, but some days are so much better than others…

I phoned the nasty TV licensing people this morning and paradoxically spoke to a very nice man who made my day. The case has been withdrawn. A summons should “never have been issued” and in fact they were baffled as to why one had been issued and he apologised. He is writing to me today to confirm all this in a letter. Being a belt and braces kind of girl, my partner then advised me to call the magistrates court to confirm this and I spoke to a lovely woman who checked (and double checked) the system to confirm that yes, the case had been withdrawn. This normally would be enough for me to attempt the Morcambe and Wise ‘bring me sunshine song’ but there’s more… I got into to work, checked my email and saw that the producer who asked for my script in Ireland had emailed. He called the script stunning; he thinks it’s absolutely brilliant. I don’t know what this mean in terms of the next step, but I can tell you, to get that kind of feedback from a respected and successful film professional is thrilling. In fact I feel a little giddy.

I have to make sure I work hard and am nice to everyone I meet today to keep all this good karma coming my way…

Canon can

What a great day! Actually, what a great weekend. First things first, my email request to friends pleading for the use of a film SLR has resulted in the use of an EOS Canon. (It’s a very modern camera and very similar to mine – with the obvious exception that it’s film.) It uses the same lenses as my camera and, I can buy filters for the film camera and then use them on my digi after the course. My friend also lent me two lenses and she has a great zoom lens which is even better than my own. Plus my tutor emailed and I got my extension! (She is actually going to petition her line manager for an extension for the whole class, she also thinks the fact that we weren’t told about needing to use film etc. wasn’t fair and has set us back.)

I can now do my final project in Scotland; the architecture in Glasgow, the remoteness of the Islands, the landscape of the Highlands… already my enthusiasm and excitement has returned!

We did a lot of gardening over the weekend, went to the woods with Pluto and another friend’s dog, had a bar-b-q (rump steaks from Abel and Cole… gorgeous, absolutely bloody gorgeous), found a frog skeleton (gross yet strangely cool), drank beer and generally had a fab time. Today our new fridge freezer arrives and frankly I’m far more cheerful than I was last week!

Home grown spring onions

Well I handed in my court summons to the magistrate’s court yesterday and felt like I had been caught shop lifting or granny battering. The staff were split down the middle: 50% really helpful, 50% really wanting you to piss off and leave them alone. Luckily after being sent to several wrong offices, I found a woman that was fantastic. And actually, she told me not to plead guilty! We had a letter after the visit from the aggressive TV henchman that said, no further action will be taken because you’ve bought a licence… Anyway, I had forgotten all about it but my partner found it and attached it to our stuff. The lady I dealt with says this proves that they should have never issued the summons in the first place and that we should call TV licensing urgently. Even if they don’t withdraw the case though, at least I delivered my mitigating statement in time.

Last night I went to college feeling a bit blue about the whole situation – no camera (well, I have an excellent top of the range camera worth £600 but apparently I can’t use that!) and no photos. Towards the end of the lesson I felt just about ready to give up. Other than the whole ‘no camera’ thing, I have an impossible tight deadline to hand my work in because of going to Scotland. I slept on it and after talking to my partner, decided that quitting was for… well, quitters. In one last final attempt to finish term three with the high marks that I received in terms one and two, I have emailed some friends asking if anyone can lend me a film SLR (preferably a fairly modern one) and then I emailed my tutor asking for an extension. What will happen? I don’t know. It is conceivable that I may not get the extension, but more importantly no one will have a camera they can lend me. But I can’t give up just yet. I’m a good photographer. Now I just have to be a resilient photographer as well!

It’s a gorgeous day and we’ve spent most of it in the garden. We’ve also just had a salad that contained home grown spring onions, very satisfying and very tasty!

TV licences, chickens and photography

I had a lie-in this morning and it made all the difference. So much so that after a healthy breakfast I started work and have achieved more this morning than I have all week!

So today I have to drop off the statement and documents to the court that’s handling the trial of the century – my ‘30 days out of date TV licence that as soon as we realised was out of date was replaced immediately’. My partner and I are both a little nervous about being hit with a massive fine. We’re hoping the case is seen for what it is, an accidental oversight, but I guess it depends on all manner of things. I’ll let you know. But to be honest, once I’ve hand-delivered the stuff I’m going try and put it all out of my mind.

College tonight but I have no photos. I haven’t had the time and / or inclination which is a shame. I’m really struggling with this new term. I joined to become a better photographer and just as that happened, we were told we had to use other cameras which we weren’t familiar with, and often, due to the age of the cameras, have significant operating differences. Ah well, it's a small problem in the big scheme of things.

Country smallholding magazine arrived this morning! I was very excited but haven’t had the time to read it yet. I wanted to check it out before I subscribed and you can buy each new issue individually. If it’s well written and helpful, then I may just indulge… even if I never get a small holding, I’ll always know how to care for rare-breed chickens!!