As ever, we’ve been pretty bust these last few days…
Pete had his quarterly blood test for the Oncologist. Although his appointment with her isn’t until the 12th August, the health centre were able to confirm that his Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) count has dropped again to 0.6 which is a lot better than the 57 it was this time last year – hurray! We see this as good news although it will be nice to get that confirmed by the Oncologist on the 12th!
After seeing Doctor Kate for a HRT review last week, I have also had a blood test this week to get my cholesterol checked alongside any diabetes risk. This was a general, annual health check and not for any specific reason as, apart from the usual aches & pains (although these have been much better since I started the HRT), I am feeling fit & healthy, even if a little chubby! 🤣 Anyway, I got a text message yesterday (31st) saying a letter is waiting for me at the Doc’s “highlighting diet & lifestyle advice beneficial to your health” so I am guessing all is well & this will be the usual gumpf you get about eating healthily & exercising… I will find out when I pick up the letter.
Last weekend, we took a drive along the Scottish border to visit the Kelso Agricultural Show and had a great day out. This show is much bigger than any we have visited in England, particularly with the amount of agricultural machinery on show etc. We enjoyed having a stroll around looking at the different stalls and animals. The food we had was good (chicken & chips / Ice Cream) & we were able to get some equally unhealthy supplies for our tea (massive sausage rolls)… maybe that’s why that Doctor’s letter is waiting for me to collect! 🤔 I definitely could get my act together with eating better! 🤣
Some pics from the Kelso Agricultural Show.
We expected to see some judging of animals – above is the best in show being judged;
We even expected to see perhaps a brass band & some pipers… but maybe not Camels!
We were sorry that we were not able to travel to Taunton for Pete’s friend Roy Trower’s funeral. It looked like a good turnout which Pete said is what Roy deserved. Thank you to those who filmed the event for those unable to make it to watch.
We had a few days rest at the start of the week… well, when I say rest, it happens that Pete started taking out the fitted wardrobe in the little, white bedroom when my back was turned (I was at work!) and so we had to load all the pieces into the car (a full car load) and get this to the recycling centre along with the wallpaper he had stripped off one of the walls… Amazing how much waste decorating generates… pics on left show the fitted wardrobe & on the right, ta-da, now they are gone & we will no longer bang our bonces on them!
On Wednesday we travelled to Tarbolton in South Ayrshire where we stayed at The Black Bull for a couple of nights in preparation for our day at the Commonwealth Games on Thursday (30th July). The room was nice and comfy (although very warm), the staff friendly & the food, which we had on the first night, nice.
It took us around 45 mins driving to get close to the Scotstoun Stadium to park up, and then 20 mins to walk the rest of the way so, with the morning session starting at 10am, it meant an early start for us…
Morning Session at the Commonwealth Games 2026. Middle Right – us in our Team England tops.
We had front row seats in the West Stand in the morning… looking straight into the sun which we were grateful for as, when we’d watched highlights earlier in the week on TV, it had been banging it down with rain and it had also rained heavily that morning in Tarbolton as we left the hotel… we were fortunate all day as, apart from a few spits and some threatening black clouds which my Mum would have loved, it stayed dry.
We enjoyed the athletics, especially following the Decathletes in their first 5 events. I had my double sided flag (made from tying my England & Scotland flags together!) so we could cheer on both nations… though, as ever, us and the crowd cheered on everyone – great fun!
Evening Session at Scotstoun Stadium, Glasgow
With 5 hours to kill between sessions, instead of staying in Glasgow, we decided to drive out to see the Kelpies at Falkirk & grab some lunch there…
We have wanted to visit The Kelpies for a long time… here’s some info about the legend of the Kelpie from the internet:
The Kelpie
Ben Johnson – http://www.historic-uk.com
Falkirk in Scotland is home to The Kelpies, the largest equine sculpture in the world. Unveiled in April 2014, these 30-metre high horse-head sculptures are situated in Helix Park near the M9 Motorway and are a monument to Scotland’s horse-powered industrial heritage.
But what are ‘kelpies’?
A kelpie is a shape-changing aquatic spirit of Scottish legend. Its name may derive from the Scottish Gaelic words ‘cailpeach’ or ‘colpach’, meaning heifer or colt. Kelpies are said to haunt rivers and streams, usually in the shape of a horse.
But beware…these are malevolent spirits! The kelpie may appear as a tame pony beside a river. It is particularly attractive to children – but they should take care, for once on its back, its sticky magical hide will not allow them to dismount! Once trapped in this way, the kelpie will drag the child into the river and then eat him.
These water horses can also appear in human form. They may materialize as a beautiful young woman, hoping to lure young men to their death. Or they might take on the form of a hairy human lurking by the river, ready to jump out at unsuspecting travellers and crush them to death in a vice-like grip.
Kelpies can also use their magical powers to summon up a flood in order to sweep a traveller away to a watery grave.
The sound of a kelpie’s tail entering the water is said to resemble that of thunder. And if you are passing by a river and hear an unearthly wailing or howling, take care: it could be a kelpie warning of an approaching storm.
The kelpie is even mentioned in Robert Burns’ poem, ‘Address to the Deil’:
“…When thowes dissolve the snawy hoord
An’ float the jinglin’ icy boord
Then, water-kelpies haunt the foord
By your direction
And ‘nighted trav’llers are allur’d
To their destruction…”
So next time you are strolling by a pretty river or stream, be vigilant; you may be being watched from the water by a malevolent kelpie…
It’s said that ancient folklore tales about the Kelpies were often used by parents to keep children safely away from dangerous, fast-flowing rivers and deep lochs… maybe they should think of a modern day equivalent to stop kids getting into difficulties swimming in reservoirs and rivers today…?
I have to say, I found being in the presence of the Kelpies at Falkirk very peaceful despite the number of people around & was really glad we made the effort to visit them between the track sessions! I can’t wait to see them again sometime ❤️
Our visit to see the Kelpies at the Helix Park, Falkirk.
The Kelpies are around 30 metres tall and are the largest equine structure in the world
Top Right shows the prototype of the Kelpies (larger version in the background) which are on display outside the cafe.
The artist, Andy Scott, used these to explain his vision for the larger structure
It was a long day with our last minute trip to see the Kelpies but we enjoyed every minute of it, especially the evening session of the athletics which had a few medal ceremonies too. All-in-all, a grand day out although we were both knackered by the time we got back to our hotel!
After a great breakfast yesterday morning, we carried on our journey heading towards the Kintyre peninsula and the apartment we are staying in this week.
Although, there are several ways of getting to where we are at Port Righ, the two shorter routes (72 miles going via the Isle of Arran & 105 miles via Dunoon & Tarbet) we decided to stick to the roads as, even though the journey was 150+ miles, time-wise it was much of a muchness, & driving meant we didn’t have the stress of having to get to a ferry for a specific time or worry about not getting on!
Our route also meant that we got to drive past Loch Lomond and through the glorious Scottish countryside (despite the rain!) and had a stop at the Tree Shop Garden Centre (next to Loch Fyne Restaurant & Oyster Bar, just before Inverary which reminded us of the last time we visited the area with Mum & Dad when we all went to the last Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in 2014) for refreshments.
Once past Inverary, it was a short drive to Lochgilphead, where we refuelled, before carrying on down the A83 towards Campbeltown.
By the time we got to Tarbet and finally onto the Kintyre peninsula, we were both a little weary & fractious… we had after-all had a very busy & tiring few days! The final 20 miles of the journey was a single-lane, twisty track with passing places which was hard work driving… just what I needed at the end of a long day!
Fifteen miles from our final destination, we passed the signs for the Claonaig Ferry Terminal and, as we have booked to get the ferry over to Arran on Monday, decided to pull in and check out how many cars the ferry takes as it’s a turn up & go service. Fortunately, we didn’t have to wait too long & as the ferry was about to ramp, Pete spotted a pair of dolphins swimming between the ferry and the ramp… what a nice way to start our week on the Kintyre Peninsula! It’s not a great video but as good as I could get amid my general excitement!
The apartment we are staying in is on the ground floor of what used to be the Dunvalanree Hotel & Restaurant. We met the owner on arrival who told us that him & his late wife had run the hotel for many years but after she passed 10 years ago, he’d looked to sell up… sadly, nobody wanted to buy it as a going concern and so, about 2 years ago, he decided to change some of the rooms into self-catering apartments. We are apparently the 5th set of guests to stay.
It’s very nice with an amazing view over the small cove of Port Righ. It also means we can sit here & watch the seals basking on the rocks! Honestly, seeing dolphins and seals on the first evening of being here has been a proper treat… now all we need is some Otters, a few Deer and some Golden or Sea Eagles and we would be calling “house” on the Scottish wildlife bingo! 🤣🤣🤣
Today, after our first decent nights sleep in a few days, we have been for a short walk around Port Righ & Carradale. We got caught in a rain shower which we actually quite enjoyed – it’s the first time we have walked in the rain in what feels like ages. We had a nice lunch out in the Blackbird Cafe which, perhaps unsurprisingly, had lots of pictures of Blackbirds and the lyrics of the Beatles song on the walls.
They obviously have an affinity with Paul McCartney and the Beatles / Wings… not just because of his 1977 hit Mull of Kintyre. He has owned a big farm not far from where we are staying since 1966 and it’s where he and wife Linda brought up their family. It’s also rumoured that the idea for the Beatles song, The long and winding road was inspired by the very road we wound our way along to get here yesterday!
Anyway, I think we are going to enjoy our week here, rain or shine!
Walking around Port Righ & Carradale.
Top left is where we are staying;
Bottom left is the view we have from the apartment, the mountains in the background are on Arran!
Walk around Port Righ & Carradale
Top – Seals basking in the rocks on the other side of the cove;
Bottom, the apartment owner’s dog, a very friendly Standard Poodle!
We have certainly had a busy week – so busy that Pete thinks I am trying to kill him! 🤣🤣🤣
All the gubbins… 
Leave a comment