The last week or so has been a bit gruesome so it was a nice change to go to Inverness to buy the Xandman a suit for his end of term Leavers evening (junior prom would it be in American?) It was Sunday and the little city was very quiet which isn't good for the tradespeople of course but it was nice for us. We found him a really smart black number in the men's outfitters, then a white shirt, cuff links and purple tie to go with it. Though professing to be above such unmanly pursuits he quite obviously loved it. Some of the boys, judging by their Facebook comments are really getting into it with talk of cream tux - oh per-lease - but he did bring a bit of a tear to the eye looking so grown up and all. I haven't managed to get a photo yet... When I asked if he had a girlfriend he should order one of those wrist corsages for he came over all shifty and blushed...

This week the timetable for him is much more rugged. The expedition for this year is a hike to Cape Wrath, the most north- westerly part of the British Isles. It looks terrifyingly bleak with the highest cliffs (in the B Isle) and much of the land is owned by the military who use it to play around with 'heavy ordinance ' so I hope they haven't left any of it lying about. The lucky hikers will cover 11 miles in 2 days which doesn't sound much but they are all carrying 63 kilo rucksacks on their backs and on packing day when some of them loaded up they fell over! There is one tiny girl whose pack must be as big as her. Our young man is in the top group who will walk the full distance ( we breed them big and tough) but others will be left a little closer to the target. They have to take everything with them, tents trangis tinned food, because there is nothing but birds and heather and midges. They are not allowed to take toilet paper but must use moss. When they get to the most north-westerly point they pitch camp for a night then turn round and make their way back.

I am so glad I didn't get sent to this school!

Well last week was one I don't want to repeat but will probably remember. A complete pain in the ... face to begin with. Toothache started Last Tuesday, rose to a crescendo Wednesday,tooth extracted Thursday and pain reemerged in a slightly different form until now when it is finally ebbing. It was a complicated tooth and I can't take anything but paracetamol. Doesn't cut it much. Daughter explained why.

I empathise with all sore-headed bears. It hasn't made me any nicer to know.

The court case isn't over, will probably take two more days in fact, but daughter was already reduced to tears (not public ones) by the first part of giving her evidence - and that was the police solicitor questioning her, so friendly. It's the stuff coming out that she never wanted anyone to hear and now it is broadcast to a room-full of people not all of whom are sympathetic. C*&p! The Sheriff is a woman - which really doesn't help. She wasn't at all sensitive.

The weather has gone all gloomy too. Blah.

Number two daughter is in Portugal so I hope she is having a wonderful time - the family needs an input of cheer.

I've read more books: Chocolat; Runemarks (hope she writes more fantasy); Gentlemen and Players. Now I'm re-reading the Pullman 'Northern Lights' trilogy which can be depressing but is endlessly fascinating to me.

Please could someone tell me which tree has a flower like this one so I don't have to look it up?

Nice afternoon, weather just right, neither too hot or too cold, so good for browsing first in an old church converted long ago into an outlet for antiques and bric-a-brac where I found a 1st ed. of Christopehr Fry 'The lady's Not for Burning' for £1 and a little brass pot to throw my keys into - don't know why but I wanted something to throw my keys into instead of hanging them up or losing them in pockets. K & I managed not to buy any of the 'vintage' garments or musty fur coats.

Then an hour in the gardens at Cawdor Castle where we saw this tree.

Reading list

Can't stop reading at the moment. Maybe shutting somehing out?

Over the past week I’ve read :

‘The Testimony of Daniel Pagels by Vickery Turner. Another crime story that uses the tempting world of quantum physics and the possibility it seems to offer of being in two places at once.

“The Whisperers” by John Conolly, although in truth I didn’t read it. I started, flipped through and put it down. Not my taste.

“The Hypnotists” by Lars Kepler (now there’s a man who should be into quantum physics with that surname) It’s a good read, fast, nice twists, gothic darkness and chill, but in no way as many-layered as “The Girl With..” series which its blurb would like it to be equalled to.

“The Lollipop Shoes” by Joanne Harris. I haven’t read “Chocolat” or even seen the film, but this was sitting on the Red Cross book shelves in a nice clean hardback so I tried it and was completely seduced. No-one explained there was a hint of witchcraft and sorcery in “Chocolat” as far as I can remember so it was another of those I dismissed. “Lollipop Shoes’ is a sequel so I’ve now ordered the first part. JH has a light style, obviously enjoys writing about food in a sensual, lush way that makes the scents and flavours curl up out of the page, and the final gift to the reader is her gentle invocation of all that is best about France.

When I drifted into the Red Cross shop again yesterday I found a thumbed copy of ‘Blackberry Wine’ so that’s kept me happy until just now.

In between, spurred by memories of France, I bought from Amazon (really they do arrive very fast!) ‘French tales” a collection of short stories by people like Colette, Daudet, Marcel Ayme and Annie Saumont. Some of the stories I have struggled through in french back in the day, but it was much more comfortable to read them in translation.

Bisto Kid.

Iain's gorgeous Alsation Kes is casting just now and, being the fluffy cuddly type, she leaves a thick trail of fur everywhere she goes so she's banned from the house more often than she would like. it must be difficult resisting this sad face.

Spatchcocked

I bought a spatchcock poussin for dinner today (and tomorrow since it's only me) but when I took the cooked and crispy crittur out of the oven I found it disturbingly weird. It's headless and those look like knees.....

Redheadness

I'm not really a redhead. It's a trick of the light. It's tempting though because the henna my daughters put on their hair really seems to perk the hair up, make it rich and shiny. I know there's a sort-of henna for indeterminates but I bet it's not so good.
What holds me back is the fear of orangeness

Now that I've found I can write here during the long hours behind the counter there may be no stopping me.

I had cause to look up www.inprint.co.uk/thebookguide this morning and thought I'd mention the site here as it's interesting for book lovers, gives details of all secondhand book stores across the UK ( the ones that have contacted it, and most do. Mine used to be there... Sigh...) it also has some snappy bookie quotes. Here's one I like:

"With sixty staring me in the face, I have developed inflammation of the sentence structure and a definite hardening of the paragraphs."
JAMES THURBER

Also: "Writing is easy. All you do is stare at a blank sheet of paper until drops of blood form on your forehead."
GENE FOWLER

The good, the bad and the ugly.

Ha! Just found how to write here on the iPad. I'm a bit slow but I get there in the end. Now. Do I have anything to say? Not a lot. Except that Gizmo is less wheezy... That's the good news.

The bad is that the gun law in Scotland is nuts. It may not be enough that someone is unstable, inclined to make death threats, break car windows, throw rocks and so on to stop them owning a shotgun. They have to have been seen misusing a shotgun. How does that look? Waving it around?

This is personal. My daughter and grandson are called as witnesses next week. Her troublesome ex is attempting to overturn the decision made by the Chief Constable of this region to take his licence away after he (the ex) made threats against my daughter and her partner in the presence of his son. Great parenting! It's going to be traumatic enough for them both -especially for the sandman of course, though I know his mum is dreading the thought too - without the possibility of an unsatisfactory outcome.

And it's right in the middle of the Common Entrance exams. The uncaring father who has brought the case won't give a tinker's cuss about that of course.

The police have thirteen witnesses, which is a relief as it isn't only our family statements that will count, but it's going to be a very long day.