25.04.08
Posted in Uncategorized at 12:58 pm by Sophie
My great-niece, Matilda Grace, was born a couple of days ago.
Great-Aunt Sophie. Nope, it really doesn’t sound right!
Of course, this entailed passing some time in various card shops, making alarmed noises at the deeply sentimental new baby cards.
And what alarmed me most? The fact that the majority of the sickly pink cards referred to the joy brought by a little baby girl (and, in one particularly sick-making instance, an ‘ickle baby girl). None of the blue cards used the L-word.
Stereotyping really does kick in from the first minute, doesn’t it?!
Talking of stereotypes, R just read something out from the Grauniad about the LGBT film festival being unable to find a Muslim lesbian.
“Well,” I said thoughtfully, “I’m sure there are some, but I bet they’re keeping their heads down …”
[pause]
“… as it were.”
Ouch!
(BTW, if anyone finds this blog having typed the words “Muslim” and “lesbian” into a search engine, then step away right now. You are definitely in the wrong place!)
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21.04.08
Posted in Uncategorized at 8:31 am by Sophie
Which sums up the Caledonian Canal fairly succinctly, I think. Also - oystercatchers, buzzards, a confused guillemot who didn’t realise he wasn’t a freshwater bird, several friendly dogs and an over-friendly duck (who tried to sit on my head) and countless snow-capped mountains (including Ben Nevis). But no Loch Ness monster, irritatingly …
Our friends Richard and Helen had got their yacht, Hornpipe, out of its winter anchorage at Ardrossan and were taking her through the Caledonian Canal on their way to southern Norway, so R and I joined them at Fort William, just at the top of Neptune’s Staircase. Four days of bliss ensued, with lots of food and wine and the most remarkable views I’ve ever seen. Lots of work was done on the way, including the installation of a forward-looking sonar (not in time to do any monster-spotting, sadly) and some serious sandpapering and teak oiling. I always knew that boats involved a never-ending maintenance schedule, but it doesn’t sink in until you’ve seen it in action!
By Tuesday we were at Inverness, so R and I caught a bus back to Fort William (retracing our journey down the canal at what seemed like mad speed, compared to the leisurely five knots on the way up!), picked up the van at Banavie and I drove us back via the extremely scenic route, past Glencoe and down through Loch Lomond. Photographs here!
R had a brainwave and decided we should treat ourselves to dinner at the Creggans Inn on Loch Fyne - still drooling …
In other news - one more foster cat (who has since been reunited with his owners) spent a couple of days with us, and the gorgeous tabby cat next door has started to treat our place as her emergency back-up residence, so I can’t complain about a lack of feline company 
And - drum roll - R and I won the Observer cryptic crossword! Our names are in the paper and everything! Woo and hoo!
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