Wilma has joined up, she's become a fully charged "Eco-warrior"

Ashgrove has become the battle ground for her fight against the forces of plastic.

She is of course, absolutely right and I applaud her and the determination she shows in this fight. 

My only real concern is that she's also verging towards vegetarianism and of course I'm the original carnivore!  If it flies, swims or walks on four legs then I'll eat it.

The important thing is we never try to hoist our views on each other !

For us - plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose

Feasgar Math bho Thomais Mac an-Fhucadair

Leasan a h-aon:  (Lesson one)

That's enough for one day! The night classes started yesterday and both the tutor and the other students are a pleasure to be with. A truly diverse bunch with Americans from Oregon, A German lady, several Invernesians and some English make up the class of 16.

Oidhche mhath mo charaidean !!

Infidelity, misogyny and caddish behaviour in Strathpeffer after Cathedral Evensong

You may well ask what is happening in the deepest Highlands especially in the Victorian Spa town just 6 miles north of Dingwall. The truth is much more banal than the "hook" put in the headline. Bunty and I went to the Cathedral of St Andrew this afternoon for the Choral Evensong celebrating the 150th Anniversary of the building of the Cathedral.

and the service was a joy to be part of with the choir in good form as was expected and the church packed with participation throughout the choral aspect.

A swift return to Ashgrove and a chicken "Ruby Murray" a la Bunty's culinary expertise and she and I headed off to the Spa Town for the rendering of "The Merry Widow" by Opera Bohemia. The music is by Franz Lehar the Austrian/Hungarian composer, while the libretto was a dual offering by Leon & Stein which in itself is a musical romp with much waltzing and plenty of innuendo to suggest the title above.  Truthfully the singers were all at the top of their game. The tenors, sopranos and the whole chorus were a delight to the ear and in the relatively small and intimate atmosphere of Strathpeffer Spa Pavilion it struck a whole range of chords but primarily the hair on the back of the neck ! Opera Bohemia are touring Scotland in smaller venues till mid September. Catch them if you can !

The Greenock mental crew go north in search of Kulture

Friday night and my new season ticket to Caley Stadium has the bonus of my watching Inverness Caledonian Thistle (Caley) playing against Greenock Morton in the Scottish Championship (which in old money used to be the first division). However as in England-shire, money doesn't just talk, it stands on the table and shouts! Ergo since sponsors need to have their product liberally sprinkled with stardust, the 1st division then becomes the "Championship".

 

You have to hand it to the Morton faithful, about a bus-load had made their way to the Highlands Capital to support their team. A journey that I can personally attest to as being more than arduous and very much time consuming, especially when the game is televised on the BBC Scotland channel. The sight of supporters wearing the precious team shirt and a pair of shorts this far north (oh but one had a "bunnet") is testimony to constitution of the Greenock man and the couple of women who were likewise attired.

All this way and probably not getting home till circa 1 a.m. is the stuff of legends (not to mention the fortitude of their insides with a modicum of "Buckie") was not repaid by the team as Caley stuffed them 5-0.

My easy 15 minute drive home is minuscule by comparison to the Greenock fans.

Thomais joins the Gaels in the IRA

From the outset I suppose some clarification would not go amiss here, the IRA in this context is not (despite any Irish leanings on my part), the Provisional Wing of the Republican Army, but is in fact the superbly furnished Inverness Royal Academy and the Gaels is the start of my cultural journey into all things Gaelic in the Highlands by my enrolment for the beginners course in the traditional language of Scotland.

Schools have certainly changed since my time in the "Convent" confines of St Michael's in Irvine in the latte fifties, with the redoubtable Sister Pauline as Headmistress and effectively Reverend Mother of the other sisters. This one is obviously top of the range and the facilities are bordering on sumptuous.

Cum suil air an ai te seo mo charaidean !

The Pensioners are playing with their balls in the long grass.

All right that is enough of the smutty innuendos and supposition on the part of the limited readership of these innocent "Ramblings". However, Wilma and I actually got to "play" with each other for the first time in real golfing terms. 

In the past, it has been Bunty playing and me acting as some sort of John Jacobs as she progressed with the search for the  elusive sweet spot in golfing terms (take your mind of the other connotation if you will).

We couldn't have picked a better day as the sun shone and the temperature hovered at a fine  18 deg C. The weather was fine as was the mood of the two riders on the electric buggy. 

Such reverie was shattered with the opening shot on the first tee as yours truly, skelped the ball into the trees on the left side of the fairway. The bonus being it hit a tree hard enough to bounce back out and into the semi-rough! It was all down-hill from then on! 

One lost ball but more shanks than a porcelain factory of toilet manufacturing. Bunty too had her trials but nonetheless, it was good to get out and look the part of golfers even if that was as close to being golfers as we got !

Stabat Mater sans Lachrymosa

Oh my joy is unconfined, I'm back singing with a choral unit that sings some of their repertoire in Latin ! My first rehearsal with Inverness Choral Society has been an absolute delight, notwithstanding the friendliness of the other members of the choral unit, the first piece we rehearse is Rossini's "Stabat Mater". Next up will be Vivaldi's "Credo".

There's no "Lacrymosa" here unless it is "tears of joy ". 

Even the voice test after the rehearsal was good enough and I've never had to go through one of those in the past. So it is "Pax vobiscum" from ironically, the Free Church of Scotland in Smithton in a touch of irony !