July to October in Innellan, Glasgow and Gairloch
We return from the sun and heat of France to what seemed like a month of rain. In fact it wasn't an exaggeration. The ground was sodden, and it made us wonder why we had returned so early, but we expected the summer months to be half decent and we had work to do.
Nevertheless, we managed to get on with finishing the balcony off, adding a recessed seat and completing the end walls and rainwater connections to storage tanks.
But more importantly to redraw all the plans and elevations to submit to the building control to allow them to sign the building off. As we had made minor alterations to the original agreed plan, it was necessary to produce drawings that showed the house as it now is. Unfortunately we had parted with our architect in year one when he cocked up the positioning of the house and the levels, which ultimately cost us over 25K to resolve.
So it was down to me, so l had to spend a week checking everything and then sat down and produced the drawings. Which in turn caused another problem. My back went after the first day. Bending over the drawing board for 12 hours really buggered it up. So eventually worked at the island unit, standing up. But it took a good ten days for the back to stop going into spasm. Must be and age thing.
We still kept disappearing to Glasgow for the odd lunch and overnight trip. After all you cant just spend your time working. Or so Judith informs me. And l must say its great to try different restaurants and bars, plus Glasgow has so much to see and do, what with the theatres, museums, art galleries, cinemas, walks, architecture and of course the people.
Not forgetting the incredible street art.
Had a good time at the Theatre Royal the other day. Went to see Tosca, and it was truly amazing. The three leads were superb. Only downside was the view, which was partly obscured. Covent Garden offers better views from the wings.
Visited Glasgow Cathedral for the first time, and l must say its up with the best in the UK.
View looking at the cathedral from the Necropolis, a Victorian cemetery on a low but very prominent hill to the east of Glasgow Cathedral.
Brewdog, one of my favourite breweries, love their IPA. But more importantly their ethos. Built on Crowd Funding and profit sharing for all employees.
In their first decade, they opened 29 bars in the UK, and 17 internationally. They built two breweries in Ellon, as well as a sour beer facility, Overworks. They also built a brewery in Columbus, Ohio, and fundraised to build the world’s first craft beer hotel. Ten years on, they are valued at over £1Billion and are set to take things to a whole new level in the next 2 years. Breweries in China and Australia are in the works, as well as BrewPubs all over the world. Soon, big, bland beer will be history and the future will actually taste of something. So they say.
We have two sites that pop up in our inbox on a daily basis offering deals. There is always something of interest to see. Experiences that you perhaps wouldn't try if it was not a good deal. Like the play and a pint, afternoon tea but at breakfast time, with breakfast items instead of cakes and sandwiches, Brewdog beer and a whole chicken cooked with a can of beer up its bum, fish and chips at The Chippy Doon The Lane, Halloween in the botanical Gardens. The list of offers are endless.
Must say that we often stay at one of the premier inns. If you book far enough ahead you can get a room for less than £30 per night.
And of course, being old fart with a bus pass , we can travel on the bus to Glasgow for free. But these days, if we are spending just the day in Glasgow we go on the foot passenger ferry and get an all inclusive ferry and rail daily return ticket for £7.60.
Before you ask, no its not one that l caught. Only wish.
Earlier in the year l decided l needed some fishing time, so l book a week up around Gairloch and Ullapool, trout fishing. partly hotels, but a few nights wild camping. The latter because many of the good Lochs can only be accessed by hiking to them.
So if you want a good days fishing, you need to stay by the side of the loch. Judith was too impressed.
What do they say about best laid plans of mice and men often go awry and all that.
I had to go to the doctors with a delicate complaint, mans problems. Who immediately said l needed to see a specialist to get it resolved. Just one little problem, the waiting list was between 3 and 6 months and it was urgent. Fortunately, Judith and l have a medical cover that puts you in front of a specialist if the NH takes longer than two weeks.
Phoned Benenden Health care and they had me in front of a specialist within three days at the Nuffield in Glasgow. All for £10 a month. Unbelievable. The insurance only covers the initial visit and any tests. They gave me a £2500 budget.
The specialist recommended an operation immediately, but l explained that it would not be covered and l would need to get it done on the NH. The waiting list was 6 months to a year. So l said l decided to pay for it myself, but he suggested that l called Benenden. Low and behold, they said that l would be able to have it done by the specialist at the Nuffield. It was a procedure that was covered.
Two weeks later l was in overnight. The downside was that the fishing holiday was only four days away. But Judith had already amended the bookings and got us into hotels for the full period. What a surprise.
So off we went and had a beautiful time. Couldn't fish, because of the twisting and turning. But with the help of pain killers l was able to walk the hills.
The beauty of Scotland, its breathtaking, even on cloudy days.
Nevertheless, we managed to get on with finishing the balcony off, adding a recessed seat and completing the end walls and rainwater connections to storage tanks.
But more importantly to redraw all the plans and elevations to submit to the building control to allow them to sign the building off. As we had made minor alterations to the original agreed plan, it was necessary to produce drawings that showed the house as it now is. Unfortunately we had parted with our architect in year one when he cocked up the positioning of the house and the levels, which ultimately cost us over 25K to resolve.
So it was down to me, so l had to spend a week checking everything and then sat down and produced the drawings. Which in turn caused another problem. My back went after the first day. Bending over the drawing board for 12 hours really buggered it up. So eventually worked at the island unit, standing up. But it took a good ten days for the back to stop going into spasm. Must be and age thing.
We still kept disappearing to Glasgow for the odd lunch and overnight trip. After all you cant just spend your time working. Or so Judith informs me. And l must say its great to try different restaurants and bars, plus Glasgow has so much to see and do, what with the theatres, museums, art galleries, cinemas, walks, architecture and of course the people.
Not forgetting the incredible street art.
Had a good time at the Theatre Royal the other day. Went to see Tosca, and it was truly amazing. The three leads were superb. Only downside was the view, which was partly obscured. Covent Garden offers better views from the wings.
View looking at the cathedral from the Necropolis, a Victorian cemetery on a low but very prominent hill to the east of Glasgow Cathedral.
In their first decade, they opened 29 bars in the UK, and 17 internationally. They built two breweries in Ellon, as well as a sour beer facility, Overworks. They also built a brewery in Columbus, Ohio, and fundraised to build the world’s first craft beer hotel. Ten years on, they are valued at over £1Billion and are set to take things to a whole new level in the next 2 years. Breweries in China and Australia are in the works, as well as BrewPubs all over the world. Soon, big, bland beer will be history and the future will actually taste of something. So they say.
We have two sites that pop up in our inbox on a daily basis offering deals. There is always something of interest to see. Experiences that you perhaps wouldn't try if it was not a good deal. Like the play and a pint, afternoon tea but at breakfast time, with breakfast items instead of cakes and sandwiches, Brewdog beer and a whole chicken cooked with a can of beer up its bum, fish and chips at The Chippy Doon The Lane, Halloween in the botanical Gardens. The list of offers are endless.
check them out at ITISON and 5pm big deals.
Must say that we often stay at one of the premier inns. If you book far enough ahead you can get a room for less than £30 per night.
And of course, being old fart with a bus pass , we can travel on the bus to Glasgow for free. But these days, if we are spending just the day in Glasgow we go on the foot passenger ferry and get an all inclusive ferry and rail daily return ticket for £7.60.
Before you ask, no its not one that l caught. Only wish.
Earlier in the year l decided l needed some fishing time, so l book a week up around Gairloch and Ullapool, trout fishing. partly hotels, but a few nights wild camping. The latter because many of the good Lochs can only be accessed by hiking to them.
So if you want a good days fishing, you need to stay by the side of the loch. Judith was too impressed.
What do they say about best laid plans of mice and men often go awry and all that.
I had to go to the doctors with a delicate complaint, mans problems. Who immediately said l needed to see a specialist to get it resolved. Just one little problem, the waiting list was between 3 and 6 months and it was urgent. Fortunately, Judith and l have a medical cover that puts you in front of a specialist if the NH takes longer than two weeks.
Phoned Benenden Health care and they had me in front of a specialist within three days at the Nuffield in Glasgow. All for £10 a month. Unbelievable. The insurance only covers the initial visit and any tests. They gave me a £2500 budget.
The specialist recommended an operation immediately, but l explained that it would not be covered and l would need to get it done on the NH. The waiting list was 6 months to a year. So l said l decided to pay for it myself, but he suggested that l called Benenden. Low and behold, they said that l would be able to have it done by the specialist at the Nuffield. It was a procedure that was covered.
Two weeks later l was in overnight. The downside was that the fishing holiday was only four days away. But Judith had already amended the bookings and got us into hotels for the full period. What a surprise.
So off we went and had a beautiful time. Couldn't fish, because of the twisting and turning. But with the help of pain killers l was able to walk the hills.
Breakfast at the Nuffield the morning after the op.
The beauty of Scotland, its breathtaking, even on cloudy days.
Views across Ullapool
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