Bartimaeus

The weather towards the end of January was especially damp and stormy, even for the time of year.  It was difficult to find the enthusiasm to get out much in those conditions.

One bright spot to look forward to was seeing Michael Rosen at the Lyceum.  The show itself consisted entirely of the man himself sitting on stage and reading.  The first half was about the death of his eighteen year old son in 1999.  The second half was based on his book about his close-call with Covid 19.  Despite the sombre subject matter, the experience was an uplifting one.  His thoughtful use of mostly simple words leads to new perspectives.

There was a short interlude of blue sky one day, so we set off to make the most of it.  We managed a loop over the shoulder of Arthur's Seat and found ourselves at Dunsapie Loch.  We spotted a number of birds with both golden eyes and tufted heads.  After a quick check we concluded that there were two species represented: goldeneyes and tufted ducks.  Quite how the two species got named after only one characteristic is something of a grey area.

We'd just confirmed our identification when a man nearby asked us if we knew what these unusual birds were.  He got more of an answer than he might have expected.

Despite the poor conditions I have been on a number of bike rides with Kenny.  We've discovered that even with a bit of moisture in the air, we can enjoy ourselves as long as we are warmly enough dressed and have the wind on our backs.  On one of our returns from taking a train to Dunbar we could see that the weather in Edinburgh was even greyer than where we were.  Fortunately the mist had cleared away by the time we got there.

The following day was slightly warmer and brighter, but promised to be the best day for a week.  I persuaded Clare that we would enjoy a trip on the tandem down to Musselburgh for lunch.  We hadn't been out on it since we returned to Edinburgh.  We reached the top of the Innocent Tunnel when I remembered something I had seen indications of the previous day - a half-marathon.  The route was along the cycle path, including through the tunnel.  Worse, at the tunnel end the runners turned round and went back through again.

We weaved through the crowded space until the next junction, where I diverted north to take us along the (crowded) promenade at Portobello before finding our original route.  On the way back I chose another route that brought us along the other side of Arthur's Seat.  The bright sun shining on to it was a distinct contrast to the previous day.

The week was wet and cold as predicted until Friday which was bright in the afternoon.  Unfortunately I had an appointment in the middle of the afternoon to have my eyes checked.  It was fairly quiet when I arrived, but before I had been seen, almost everyone else, including most of the staff, had gone home for the weekend.

The ophthalmologist apologised for keeping me waiting, but I know the reason she was running late is because she is both thorough and friendly. We were both pleased to discover that the pressure in my eye is a healthy 18mmHg.  She also checked for thinning of the nerve and confirmed that things seem to be stable again after the laser surgery to clear the ducts two years ago.

Saturday also started bright, but very cold.  Kenny and I agreed on a route that we hoped would be largely ice-free.  On the way up Gleneagles, there were occasional patches of slush, but most of the snow and ice was on the surrounding hills.

The road was surprisingly busy for February, presumably the first bright weekend for some time had attracted people out.  The gentle descent of Glen Devon was largely uneventful.  As I was following Kenny out of the village of Glendevon, I suddenly realised he was braking heavily for a patch of ice and slush.  By the time I had seen it I was just able to steer away from him and then hold constant speed and direction and hope for the best.  Fortunately the tarmac resumed before the corner and we both came through upright.

At Pool of Muckhart, the coffee shop was also busier than we expected.  Instead of waiting, we went the short distance to the Muckhart Inn for our lunch.

I remembered a picture I had taken in the summer of 2020.  I was a nuisance to the waiter as I was trying to recreate it, but he humoured me when he saw the older picture.

Back home, we used to have a chimney balloon (a fancy plastic bag) stopping warm air from escaping from our bedroom.  At some point it must have been drawn up the chimney during a gale.  Once I noticed its absence I ordered a replacement, but this time I am using a "Chimney Sheep" - a large felt pad.  It was easy enough to insert once I had worked out the angle.  That should make the bedroom a little cosier.  I think if the wind is ever strong enough to pull it up the chimney we'll have many other problems besides.

We will soon have been away from the boat for four months.  We haven't heard any progress reports recently, so it seems likely that this will become our longest time away from the boat so far.  The weather seems to have been, if anything, worse where the boat is.  Waiting for the days to get brighter, longer and warmer is not such a hardship.