EGGS, LOAF AND SOUP!

Let's hear it for my neighbours Alex and Greta! Their daughter and son-in-law's hens have been hyperlaying and free-ranging all over north Bressay, so I received a present of eggs from them, for which I am very grateful. They are also keen anglers, and they use me as a cat when they find themselves with a few trout to spare. On the strength of the egg bonanza, I baked a cinnamon and raisin loaf on Wednesday evening, the first time my fingers have been self-raising-floury for a long time. Earlier that day, my sister accepted my invitation to partake of some of my scotch broth, so the Tait Gallery catering division was in full swing on March 11th.

I visited my mother on Friday, as usual. She has been feeling poorly of late, having been affected by the cough virus which has been doing the rounds up here since Up-Helly-A' (amazing how many contagious ailments seem to stem from that date every year!). I hope I cheered her up a bit, frying some fish for lunch and bringing her the latest email news from my sister in Saudi Arabia. This included a sequence of photographs, taken from a 20th storey window, of a sandstorm over Riyadh - I wouldn't like to be caught out in one of those! Anyway, I think my mother is on the mend, which is the best news possible as far as I am concerned.