Apple Blossom Time

In a couple of weeks time - on the 13th to be precise - we'll be flying over to Toulouse, arriving in our village very late at night.  It is still cold a snowy there we we hope it will have started to warm up a bit and that the fruit trees will be covered in blossom.  We will be staying for two weeks because we need to organise some major plumbing repairs which can only be done while we are there to supervise the work.  Our Ryanair flights back to Prestwick in time for Easter are only costing us £22 each ... isn't that amazing?

Surprise Visit

Out  of the blue, we got a phone call from Ireland last night.  It was our friend Isla who is flying over to Glasgow for the weekend and coming to visit us for lunch on Saturday.  Isla started working with us in our company when she left University in the early 70's and stayed with us for twenty years until she got married and had two daughters.  I have a funny feeling I might have told you all this before!

PS  Checked back the blog and found that Isla came to Glasgow in April 2012.  She doesn't usually fly to Glasgow that often.

Tallest Tree

 Another cold sunny day today.  Drove to Loch Fyne to the Arkinglas Gardens which is a collection of rare and beautiful trees. One of them is this giant, plant over 150 years ago and now the tallest tree in Britain.  It is about 63 meters high and still growing.

It is so gigantic that you can't get it into one photo.  This image is made by three photos stitched together.

Afterwards we drove on to the Tree Shop and bought a couple of new plants for our front garden

Purple Crocuses

 

Walking to the park today, I saw these flowers on waste ground.  When you see the crocuses in flower, you know Spring is nearly here.  Wish it would hurry up!

Portavadie Marina

Loch Fyne from The Creggans Inn at Strachur

Tuesday was one of the clearest, sunniest days we have had.  It was also perfectly still ...not a breath of wind anywhere.  The night had been cold and anywhere that was in shadow was white with frost all day.  We decided to drive to Portavadie on Loch Fyne to have a look at the new yacht marina there.

At the start of the North Sea oil boom, the government was very eager to make sure that Scotland was able to build lots of the gigantic steel oil-rigs they were using then and they poured vast sums of money it to useless schemes.  Portavadie was one of them.  A huge deep harbour was blasted out of the rock and a big village of houses for workers was built.  Then nothing  happened for 30 years.  No oil rigs were built and the houses were never used.  They are still there, rotting slowly away, but somebody has spent a fortune making the harbour into a brand new marina with beautiful holiday flats and a hotel.  It all looks very impressive.

Forty Years On

Last week we met up with some of our old neighbours, including Ronald & Mirren who used to live next door to us for years and years.  In fact, they were there when we moved in, which reminded me that it was exactly 40 years ago this month.  Kara was only nine  months old at the time and it wasn't just cold that Fenruary: it was snowing!  The house was huge and empty. There was no cooker in the kitchen and the sink was rotting..  You could fill the upstairs bath OK but the water refused to leave when you pulled the plug.  There were no carpets or curtains anywhere.  To go to bed we had to get undressed in the hall, switch the lights off and crawl into the mattress on the floor of the front bedroom.

We lay there the first night listening to the sound of melting snow dripping through all the leaks in the roof, remembering our warm comfy flat in Peel Street and thought "What have we done???"

More Burger Jokes

A woman has been taken into hospital after eating horse meat burgers from Tesco. Her condition is said to be stable.
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So they have found a Horse burger in Tesco. What's next, My Lidl pony?          *****************
Not entirely sure how Tesco are going to get over this hurdle.         *****************
Waitress in Tesco asked if I wanted anything on my Burger. So I had a £5 each way !         *****************
Tesco Quarter Pounders: The affordable way to buy your daughter the pony that she's always wanted!         *****************
Had some burgers from tesco for my tea last night.... I still have a bit between my teeth         *****************
Unused HMV vouchers are now being accepted at Tesco. Just tell them HMV means 'Horse Meat Voucher'         *****************
Tesco are now testing all their vegetarian burgers for traces of uniquorn         *****************
Anyone want a burger from Tesco? Yay or neigh?         *****************
"I've just checked the Tesco burgers in my freezer...AND THEY'RE OFF"         *****************
I'm so hungry, I could eat a horse....." I guess Tesco just listened.         *****************
Tesco now forced to deny presence of zebra in burgers, as shoppers confuse barcodes for serving suggestions.         *****************
A cow walks into a bar. Barman says 'why the long face?' Cow says 'Illegal ingredients, coming over here stealing our jobs!'         *****************
I hear the smaller version of those Tesco burgers make great horse d'oeuvres.         *****************
These Tesco burger jokes are going on a bit. Talk about flogging a dead.. NO! NO NO NO!         *****************

Said to the Mrs these Tesco burgers given me terrible trots
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To beef or not to beef, That is equestrian         *****************
Is it a coincidence that HAMBURGERS is a anagram of .SHERGARS BUM..         *****************
Tesco's have released a new liquor to compliment their range of burgers, They're calling it 'Red Rum'.

 

Video Of Waves

Marion took this video from inside the car because it was too difficult to stand up outside.  Even so, you can see that the wind was shaking the whole car all the time.  The location is Port Wemyss on Islay.

Biggest And Best

 

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So, it's official: these waves we saw were not only the biggest we'd ever seen by far but also the biggest in the world on that day.

Dansons La Capucine (2 Cats)

This is hilarious.  It's in French with English subtitles and, in any case, the words don't matter all that much.

New Scottish Version Of The Film

 

Islay - Home Of The Best Malt Whisky

 

We've had to quicky re-think our trip to the island of Islay where many of the most famous whiskies are made.  Laphroaig is our favourite above all.  The first time I tasted it, I thought it was the most disgusting whisky ever.  In fact, it hardly tasted like whisky.  It's a bit like learning to appreciate really strong cheese - you approach it gradually and then you can't imagine not liking it!

Rushing to pack to get to the ferry at Tarbert (3 hours away) tonight.  We'd thought maybe we could see my cousin Marleen and stay overnight in Tarbert, getting the ferry in the morning.  Turns out there are severe gales forecast for tomorrow and they aren't sure if the ship will make it at all (the sea crossing takes two hours), so we have to go tonight.  Sailing back on Wednesday which is supposed to be a nice day.