Another old lady

You must forgive me another photo of PS Waverley - the other old lady of my heading, though she's actually two years younger than me! - but she's such an iconic part of the Clyde coast in summer that just to see her lifts the spirits. Besides, this photo marks a departure from the norm for me, being taken on my Lumix camera rather than the iPhone because I caught sight of Waverley as I was doing stuff upstairs without my phone anywhere near. She was steaming majestically towards the pier, giving me only a perhaps a minute to grab a camera, open the window, and avoid careering headfirst into the garden while capturing the photo before she was out of frame. Exciting stuff, eh? I'm taken with the clarity of a zoomed photo - the iPhone, though wonderful, doesn't quite get it.

Otherwise, this ultimately lovely day? It began dozily, because for some reason I just couldn't sleep last night and heard 4am strike before I finally dropped off. This meant I was utterly out of it at 8am, and only after a large mug of Darjeeling did I feel able to stagger out of bed. By the time I'd cleared away breakfast the drizzle had stopped, the pavements were drying off and the sun was breaking through, meaning I could carry out the planned washing and re-proofing of our Paramo cagoules and hang them out on the line to dry. We had lunch in the garden, where I fell asleep over my book and almost dropped my Kindle on the concrete.

That was when we roused ourselves again to go for a walk rather than baking in the sun at home. Not a real walk, but a genteel two-mile potter out to Toward point and back to the school, where we'd left the car. There was quite a breeze, and it was rather gorgeous. I'm adding an extra of Himself taking a photo on the road; I'm facing south down the Firth towards the lighthouse, with the amazing wild loosestrife in the area between road and rocky shore, and I think the photo gives a sense of the spaciousness we so enjoy down there.

More memories from this day, twenty-two years ago: my #1 son was married on this day in Edinburgh, in the church we know as Spikey Mike's but more properly is St Michael and All Saints. The original quartet of the St Maura Singers (me, Himself and two old friends) sang a new anthem composed by Himself for the occasion and Alison and I were wearing important hats and I can't believe it's 22 years already.

As I said earlier - I too am an old lady!