My friend Catriona came to stay this week, and it was just wonderful being able to talk, catch up, put the world to rights, and fall back and forth in time, without having to explain the context of an expression or a place.

Of course there was a lot of ‘remember this’ but there was a lot of serious catch up to do and also plans for the future. Sometimes friends can just remain in the past, ‘have you heard from so-in-so? Or ‘did you hear from someone else’ and the link between us is only based on that particular time. Not so with Catriona, and although we did remember days of the Kintail Lodge Hotel, and renditions of The Dark Island, we do have future dates to look forward to. I was glad to have her with me, as John had gone south to his daughter’s wedding. Yesterday I didn’t hear from him all day and was quite depressed, and fell into a deep slough of despond, for no real reason. A bit like a spider in a bath tub, just didn’t know how to get out of it.

Anyway as in all cases of ‘the blues’ I turned to poetry, and read Liz Lochhead’s new offerings in her book, Fugitive Colours,

In praise of old vinyl

……

When you open Pandora’s Record Collection –

May you never lay your head down

Without a hand to hold

Lord knows when the cold wind blows it’ll turn your head around

Little things I should have said and done

I just never took the time

But I always thought I’d see you a –

No more I love yous

Language is –

Hey that’s no way to say

Go away from my window

Leave at your own chosen speed

I’m not the one you want babe

I’m not the one you need

I keep singing sad, sad songs, y’all

Sad songs is all I know.

And so it goes on, melancholy late at night stuff, so I needed to snap out of that so watched House of Cards. Now that is good escapism!

We were at my uncle’s funeral in Stonehaven, and that was quite sobering. He had written his own eulogy, and had put it in an envelope. So when the time came, the minister had lots to draw on, and for many it was the first time they knew of William’s early life. Good idea.

I met my very first friend who I hadn’t seen since I was seven. That was quite special. Also a man who had been at my christening in Kuala Lumpur, he was once a rubber planter and hadn’t seen me since.

We have discovered Loch Leven.

First we cycled round the 22kms, whizzing past the island where Mary, Queen of Scots was imprisoned and then the second time we walked, in full sun and it seemed to take hours. Quite a trudge.

Above are geese going off  to a goose jamboree in a field and this is a good example of a deer fence… obviously very tasty!

The cow parsley was frothy and the trees are now in full leaf, it was the perfect day.

Next week we are sailing away away to Colinsay, and then after staying with friends we are off to Islay and Jura. I wonder if we will sail over the swirls of Corryvreckan, the devil’s wash tub, where many a sailing craft has been swallowed up.

Looking forward to it all. (Not the midgies though…perhaps will buy some Avon cream).

Lovely grand daughters are blossoming. Spent a rainy day with Darcey in Edinburgh, she was quite the lady lying back in her carriage being pushed by her minions.

Bonnie is modelling her new T shirt. John couldn’t resist it! Its high time I saw her in the flesh again.

So that is that. A politician has been murdered, a spaceman has returned to earth and this time next week we will know if we are IN or OUT.

Fare thee well.