August Adventures in Scottish Meanderings

A bit late to the party this month due in part to me having a couple of unexpected appointments on the 31st when I'd set aside time to write this and then being Ms. Stupid on Thursday afternoon by locking my key in the boot of the car! As though that wasn't enough, because I was meeting my friend Jim for a walk in the park, I hadn't, for the first time in ages, slipped my phone in my pocket as I usually do when walking so the phone was locked in the boot as well! Jim leant me his phone to call the AA but I was left hanging on the line for a good half hour so we downloaded the app on his phone but it wouldn't let me log in all the details without my membership number - which was ...... of course …. in the car🙄.

The park was about 20 minutes away from my house so he drove me home as I had the number in my files then we hared back to the car to use the app again - I tried to do it on the way because he had to go soon after as he was working night shift that night but it wanted to pick up my location as where I was at that minute so I couldn't do until we were back at the park.

Sometimes technology creates more problems than it solves.

Back at the car I used the app only to be told they 'needed more details' and to phone the same number as before! So yet again I was hanging in a queue for ever getting nowhere while Jim was champing at the bit to get off to work. Eventually I had to admit defeat so he gave me a lift to a nearby shop to ask for the use of a phone but when I explained what had happened, the girl looked at me as though I was speaking French and clearly didn't understand a word so no joy there and it was now teatime so the other local shops were closing. What to do?

I had no phone to phone anyone, no money to use a payphone, no money or bus card to get home - I felt quite untethered I must admit! Suddenly I remembered my friend Monica lived a couple of streets away but I'd only given her a lift home once so would I be able to remember where I'd dropped her off? Decided to chance it but there was no answer at the house I thought it was so I thought I'll just try neighbours to check it's the right house and at the second house I tried she answered the door! I was never so glad to see anyone in my life!

So I was able to use her phone to contact the AA again and stay with her for an hour so's we could track progress online and know roughly when the patrolman was going to be at the car then I walked back to meet him. And I was lucky enough to get Brendan, the nicest, most personable young patrolman you could ever meet who was determined to get that car open and worked hard with a series of rods, metal strips and all sorts of tools to jimmy each door and try to pull the door handle inside (no go - the car was double locked), reach and press the lock button (didn't work), pull the back seats down to get access to the boot (wouldn't budge) - I was beginning I was there for the night. Then he suddenly exclaimed "oh no we're ok - you have wind down windows in the back!" and 10 minutes later he had one of the windows down, had shimmied himself through it and picked up the key! I felt all the stress and adrenaline I'd been carrying for the previous 5 hours leave me instantly.

Unfortunately we weren't done. The AA, in their wisdom, had decided (only last month as well!!) to exclude keys locked in a car as part of membership and there was a £75 excess to pay😳. Usually they take payment when you phone but of course I had nothing to make payment with when I phoned so the guy said you can just pay the patrolman. All well and good but they haven't told the patrolmen what code to use for this particular payment so poor Brendan and I had to hang around in the cold for another 40 minutes while he tried to get hold of someone on the phone who could tell him. And after all that they said oh we'll just phone her when she has access to her phone! Ridiculous! And of course that would have meant someone else broken down somewhere would have been waiting an extra 40 minutes while we were trying to sort all that out.

So that was my drama on Thursday and I was in no fit state to bang out an entry when I got home at 9 p.m. I can tell you😁


Last month the activities with the kids were winding down a bit as we drew near to the end of the summer holidays - they were back to school on Tuesday last week. Lily is now in Primary 6 and Lilah in Primary 3 and Ruari has just started nursery:



He looks so grown up there! He goes 3 days a week and it's the same nursery as Nikki works in - same days she works as well which is a shame because that means she never has any time away from all 3 kids. There have been many problems with this nursery though - incidents happening which shouldn't be - lots of new staff leaving - it's been very badly managed overall and yesterday Ruari managed to climb over a wall to the primary school garden which was just steps away from the path leading to the main road - they only realised when he started shouting because he couldn't get back! Nikki was in a meeting and only found out when she came out then the Head Teacher tried to play it down saying he hadn't actually escaped the premises so there was no need to make out a Care Inspectorate report. She found it so awkward because as a parent she would have had an entirely different attitude but as a member of staff as well, she felt a bit stymied.

When I went out to see them yesterday she was completely stressed out and still processing what had happened and going through all the possible scenarios of what could have happened as you do after a scare like that. Thankfully a senior colleague dealt with it really well and decided a report did indeed need to be made out so there's one going through and at least they're not using the garden just now until it's dealt with. This is just one of a series of things which have been happening lately though so she's in a dilemma as to what to do. She's considering setting herself up as a childminder instead as there's a definite shortage of them around the village but there are a few things which would need to be altered in the house first for that to happen so it's complicated. She's just going to be on high alert at work all the time now and she doesn't need that. I did feel sorry for her last night I must admit.


One of the things we managed to do before the holidays ended was a midnight swim at Stonehaven, a village about 20 minutes south of here. There's an open air pool and every Wednesday night during the summer they have a midnight swim (starts at 10.30 and finishes at midnight). They put on a disco to try and keep everyone moving because it's Scotland we're talking about here and Stonehaven is right on the coast so the water's not exactly warm. It's supposed to be heated but the twice we've been it's been 'f***ing freezing' according to reliable sources!

I just spectated as we weren't sure how Ruari would be but it looked like fun from the sidelines and as I was watching I quite fancied being in the pool but the adults reassured me it was still freezing and they weren't doing it again! The kids had a ball though so that was the main thing.

The disco was really good and played songs with actions like YMCA above so that everyone was encouraged to join in - sorry about everyone passing in front (although I love the older dude doing the actions!) - Nikki, her friend Jenna and the kids are just behind the steps (Nikki is lifting Ruari up in time to the music). He didn't last that long so it was handy having me there with towels etc. so that he could just sit with me and watch with a snack till the others came out.


Speaking of snacks, my weight seems to be stabilising a bit at last which I'm really pleased about. The Mirtazapine withdrawal symptoms ramped up last month so I realised I'd been tapering too fast and reinstated back to the half dose again then waited until I stabilised at that dose. But I noticed I'd had no sugar cravings or binges for a month and my appetite has pretty much returned to normal so that's clearly related to coming down from the original dose. I think I'm going to stay at this dose until after I've been to Glasgow with Janice in October just to be on the safe side then I'll try reducing very slowly again after that.


Ian is bit better I'm glad to report - they got hand rails fitted in the house and he managed the stairs quite well when the Occupational Therapist was round so they were all set to have him have his first night back in his own bed a couple of weeks ago (he's been sleeping on the 2 seater settee in the sun room downstairs for the last goodness knows how many weeks and granted, Ian can close his eyes and sleep anywhere but that can't have been good for any part of a struggling body) - however when I checked next day he hadn't managed it apparently so was going to try again the following night. I haven't heard how that went but we have a video chat on Wednesday so I'll find out then.


I've often said to Nikki I would love to have a bench in my memory somewhere so that they could go for a walk and have a rest on it sometime. Well my sister has found the perfect one for me -


I love it! It's in the Botanical Gardens in Inverness so I've contacted their Facebook group to see if I can find out who made it and if it was just a one off.


Lily had her first 'date' a few weeks ago❤️ Age 9! Mine was age 13 and I had to lie about it to Mum and Dad and say I was going up to my friend's because no way would I have been allowed to go out with a boy even at 13!



The young man in question is Brandon and they went ice skating with Brandon's Dad😊. It was a great success and they're going out again next Friday evening but am not sure where - Nikki's taking them this time. I’ll be babysitting so will hear all about it when she gets back.

She's growing up too fast!

Can you remember your first date?