Life plans

The best laid schemes of mice and men gang aft agley.

I guess I knew this day would come. In past years I have made a few trips up to Scotland to see my parents and to play golf. When and for how long these trips were depended on my diary. The last visit was a few weeks ago when I took my parents for a drive through to Inverness and down to Urquhart Castle on Loch Ness. We have booked to go to Malaga for a week at the end on this month.

Then on Monday, my Mother had a stroke. A serious one. She is in hospital in Elgin and went up to visit her this weekend. She is paralysed down the left side and having difficulty swallowing. The hospital is 20 miles away from their home, so my Dad, at 91, is having to make the journey to Elgin each day by bus. A bus shelter can be very cold in Scotland in November.

So there is the short term aim to try to see an improvement in my Mother's situation. But there is also the long term scenario to consider. I doubt she will be able to return home. My Dad will not be able to look after her. So what do we do? I live 600 miles away. Suddenly there is a big decision to be made.

Edinburgh

Today I was in Edinburgh for the AGI Scottish annual conference, entitled 'Inspiring Scotland 2007' a reference to the INSPIRE European Directive on sharing of geospatial data.

It was a very successful conference and I enjoyed my brief time in Edinburgh on a very bright October day. The previous evening I'd enjoyed a few beers in the bars along the Cowgate.

I am pleased that my new role at work allows me to do a bit of travel within the UK. Next year I'll try to stay a bit longer so that I can visit some friends while a I am in Edinburgh.

Leicester

I travelled today to Leicester for a SPLINT (SPatial Literacy IN Teaching) meeting. I left from St Pancras and this just happened to be the first day of the new Eurostar service from St Pancras. The renovated station looked fantastic.

Scottish Independence

Yesterday I watched Alex Salmond, the new Scottish First Minister, deliver the keynote speech at the SNP conference in Aviemore. I was hugely impressed, just as I have been impressed with the performance of the SNP since they took power in May.

And now David Cameron is playing into the hands of the separatists with his populist bandwagon to deny Scottish MPs a vote on English matters at Westminster. A cynical opportunistic ploy.

For the first time, I now think that full Scottish independence is likely within a decade. And I wouldn't be unhappy to see that take place.

Getting Older

I get out of bed more slowly than I used to because of my sore back. My left knee hurts every time I play tennis. My shoulder hurts every time I play golf. I've just had to get a stronger paid of glasses. My teeth are starting to crumble. In the evenings I sit and watch TV because I have no energy to do anything else. Jobs around the house remain undone.

I guess it is called old age.

On Friday we were invited to a function in Piccadilly by the organisers of Chateau Mystique, an upmarket weekend break for affluent gay men. I was the oldest person there.

Last week in Malaga I watched groups of people in bars and restaurants having a good time and regretted the fact that my Spanish was not good enough to start a conversation with any of them. But in reality, even if my Spanish was fluent, they would not have wanted me to speak to them because I am 30 years older than most of them.

More signs of old age.

Then last night, I was invited to a quiz night in a church in Potters Bar. Not only did our team win, but looking around I realised that almost everyone there was older than I am. Yes, older.

Thank God, literally, for the Church of England. The only place these days where I can still feel young!

malaga beach

I have never seen the beaches here in quite such a state. Apparently it is all due to storms a week or so ago. There are stones, bits of wood and huge amounts of bamboo canes strewn all over the beach, especially just above the high water mark. A lot of work will be needed to get the beaches back to their previous state.

Today was sunnier and I went out to Guadalmar and to the naturist beach there. It was quiet but I enjoy the freedom of that beach and spent about three hours in the sun.

This evening I will find a bar, I hope which will be showing the rugby world cup final, probably an Irish bar. So a Scotsman will be supporting England in an Irish bar in Spain. I am sure they will lose, but they have done extremely well. Now we need Scotland to qualify for Euro 2009 by beating Italy in their final match. It´s a big ask I know.

I enjoy my visits to malaga.

Back in Malaga

Currently I am relaxing in Malaga. On my own unfortunately as Andrew couldnt make it this time. Yesterday I had a short swim in the sea but today the waves were really high, so I didnt bother. Rushing back to the flat now as I have some lamb stew on the boil.

Visiting Scotland

This weekend I went up to visit my parents in Scotland. On Saturday I played 13 holes of golf with my father at Keith, then took my parents in the car to Inverness, up the Bealy road, across to Drumnadrochit, stopped at Urquhart Castle and then returned to Inverness. We had an excellent meal at what was the Kingsmills Hotel, now the Marriott Inverness, before we stopped at Dalcross Airport for me to catch the flight south. My father then drove back to Keith. He did really well to cram that all into one day at the age of 91.

The weather in Scotland was amazing for October, warm and sunny with not a breath of wind. It was a short visit but very enjoyable.

Culloden

Today I sent an email to my friend Yura in Tomsk in Siberia trying to explain to him the battle of Culloden. This was the last battle on British soil, in 1746. As a kid in Inverness I often used to cycle to the battlesite at Culloden.

Wikipedia says the following -

The Battle of Culloden (April 16, 1746) was the final clash between the French-supported Jacobites and the Hanoverian British Government in the 1745 Jacobite Rising. It was the last battle to be fought on mainland Britain. Culloden brought the Jacobite cause—to restore the House of Stuart to the throne of the Kingdom of Great Britain—to a decisive defeat.
The Jacobites—most of them Highland Scots—supported the claim of James Francis Edward Stuart (aka "The Old Pretender") to the throne; the government army, under the Duke of Cumberland, younger son of the Hanoverian sovereign, King George II, supported his father's cause.
The aftermath of the battle was brutal and earned the victorious general the name "Butcher" Cumberland. Charles Edward Stuart eventually left Britain and went to Rome, never to attempt to take the throne again. Civil penalties were also severe. New laws attacked the Highlanders' clan system, and even highland dress was outlawed.


Then I was browsing YouTube and I searched for The Skye Boat Song. This was written about Bonnie Price Charlie's escape after Culloden to the Isle of Skye, helped by Flora MacDonald. From Skye he set sail for Rome and ended his days in France. This version is sung by the Corries, the best of Scotland's folk duos. Ronnie is sadly no longer with us. But anyway here is the Skye Boat Song.

The golf is getting better

Ever since The Shire opened in July, I have struggled with it. There is so much water, loads of bunkers and some fiendish rough. The picture is of the short par 3. Off my 17 handicap it has proved to be really difficult and I have lost many golf balls.

But in the last 2 rounds I have started to improve. As a discipline I have tried to keep a score each time I play, even if I start with an 8. Well last Saturday I managed to go round in 88 and this week I had a 91. That's 71 and 74 net which I am quite pleased about. I have the day off tomorrow and am playing at 8 am, so I hope that the good form stays with me.

2 out of 3

Inverness Caley Thistle won against Falkirk 4-2
Scotland won against Italy 18-16
but
Richard and I lost our semi-final 4-6, 4-6.
We played well but our opponents made fewer errors. And there was a disputed line call when we were 4-3 ahead in the second set which we let get to us. We lost all three games from that point.

Pity - it would have been good to have featured in the final.

AGI 2007

I have just returned from our annual conference, which this year was held in Stratford-upon-Avon. I think it was a great success and that seems to be the feedback from delegates. We put in a lot of hard work both in the planning stage and during the event itself. It was worthwhile.

I am exhausted, but satisfied.

Tennis quarter final

This evening Richard and I played our men's doubles quarter final at Totteridge. We were playing a pair who play in much higher teams than we do, and I expected to lose easily. But I played well and somehow we scraped through 6-4, 2-6, 7-5.

So now we are in the semi-final.

Malaga again

We've just returned from 6 days in Malaga. I had meant to do loads of things, but I slept far too much, spent some time on the beach every day and did quite a lot of cooking. There wasnt time for anything else.

It was a good break though - and the weather was fantastic.

The Ultimate Golf Shot

I have enjoyed recently playing golf at my recently reopened and revamped golf course now called The Shire London. So far though I have not mastered the fiendishly difficult par 4 18th hole. The hole slopes gently uphill. The is a huge 'S' toward the end of the hole shaped in water with the green enclosed by the lower part of the 'S'. So the shot onto the green has to go over two large expanses of water and not go through into the water behind the green.

On Saturday I was making an even bigger mess of the hole than usual. My drive went into the thick rough on the lest. I chopped the ball out but it ran into the bunker about 200 yards from the green. Bravely but rather foolishly I took a 3 wood to my shot in the bunker. I hit it solidly without taking sand. It soared towards the green, over the water, and landed softly about 30 feet from the hole. Miraculous.

Once I got to the green I hit the put confidently and it rolled down the slope, broke to the right and went straight into the hole. A par 4 - when I had feared at least double that. Now I need to try to repeat something like that when I next play in a competition.

Car Man

Last night we went to see the Car Man at Sadlers Wells. Wow!

It was fantastic. A dance adaptation of Bizet's Carmen set in an American mid-west town in the fifties. The music was great of course, and played live. The choreography was stunning and the dancing was sexy, physical yet tender, and wonderfully competent. The whole thing was riveting. Well done again to Matthew Bourne and company.

Eurogames 2007 - final thoughts

The closing ceremony in Antwerp was quite moving. We rightly gave thanks to all the volunteers who had done such a magnificent job. One of the volunteers suddenly proposed on stage to her girlfriend. A young kid sang movingly as part of a choir of the children of same-sex parents. There were more music acts including a superb 'Shirley Bassey'. Then finally the games closed and were handed over to Barcelona for them to take up the baton in 2008.

And we watched it all in the happy company of Michael, Ottmar and Heinreich over a few beers,

The weekend was well worth the journey. I think we will

revisit Antwerp.

Eurogames 2007 - a review

Well we have arrived back from a fantastic weekend in Antwerp. The organisation of Eurogames 2007 was excellent, the local people were really friendly and supportive, the city is small but vibrant and the weather was fine.

I enjoyed hugely being part of the opening ceremony and marching into the main square behind the British banner. And then came the golf. Having missed out on a medal in Sydney 2002 and Munch 2004, I was so keen to win a medal in Antwerp. But as my round progressed and I started to hit a few wayward drives into the trees or out of bounds, I thought I'd blown the chance. But I scrambled some points and then with a few holes to play, felt that I might, just might have a chance. I really concentrated especially on the 18th tee. I hit a good drive there, but leaked my second shot to the right of the green with a large bunker between my ball and the flag. Watched by those in the clubhouse, I managed to pitch the ball over the bunker to about 10 feet from the hole and then rolled in the putt for a par and 3 points to give me a total of 32 points. My playing partner, Michael finished with 33 points, so I knew I was behind him. I just needed to have only one other player ahead of me. And that is what happened. One of the other guys had 36 points to win the gold medal, but my 32 points were enought to win bronze. I was really chuffed.

Eurogames2007

I am off on Thursday to take part in Eurogames2007 in Antwerp. Five years ago I played golf at the 2002 Gay Games in Sydney and somehow lost out on a medal by three-putting the last green and losing the bronze medal on countback. This time it would be nice to do better, but I am not playing very well and will be happy just to take part and enjoy the weekend.

Italian Chapel, Lambholm

I cannot leave Orkney without a mention of the Italian Chapel. During the war a number of Italian prisoners of war were sent to Orkney. In camp 60 at Lambholm one on the prisoners, an artist called Chiocchetti, asked to be able to create a place of worship. He was given 2 old Nissen Huts. Using materials which were available, he created a magnificent chapel. It still survives, a testament to his wonderful artistry and to the people of Orkney who have maintained the chapel to this day.

As one of the original prisoners of war, Bruno Volpi, said on his return to Orkney in 1992 - 'People cannot be judged by their precarious situations. Their culture, spirit and will to express themselves in creative thoughts and deeds are stronger than any limitation to freedom.'

Italian chapel from the outside

And from the inside