johnadams.org.uk

After three airport experiences since last Thursday, I am now officially bored with the new security regime at UK airports. The story so far shows the evolution of the alert status:

• Date: Thurs 10/08/2006 Time: 16:30 Place: Glasgow Airport
  As most London flights had been cancelled, and only passengers were allowed into the airport building, the airport was largely empty. We only had to queue for a short while at check-in (Fast Bag Drop had been suspended), and we were the only people in security! We were not allowed to take any airside purchases (water, newspaper) onto the plane.
• Date: Sun 14/08/2006 Time: 16:30 Place: Southampton Airport
  Unfortunately as FlyBe have suspended their Fast Bag Drop service, so we had to queue for 40 minutes at check-in, and another 10 mins at security. This time, although no books, newspapers or magazines were allowed through security, airside purchases were allowed to be taken onto the plane. The biggest delay of the evening was when all London air traffic was rerouted around thunderstorms, thus blocking our route north.
• Date: Mon 15/08/2006 Time: 13:00 Place: Glasgow Airport
  Shorter queues in Glasgow, and the baggage restrictions had just been relaxed. Unfortunately my bag was too big for the new restrictions, but at least I could take my laptop on board rather than leaving it to the mercy of baggage handlers. This time we could take newspapers, books, mobiles, computers, MP3 players and anything except liquids through security.

They’re talking on Newsnight tonight about passenger profiling. This has been going on for years in Glasgow - all Northern Irish flights are subject to Strathclyde Police checks, so they must be profiling potential criminals as we walk past the officers on the way out of or into the airport.

If it helps to ease the congestion and speed our way through the airport, it has my support.

As the weather promised to be sunny and warm today, we decided to go to the Isle of Bute, in the Firth of Clyde.

The island is only a 35 minute ferry journey away from Wemyss Bay on the Clyde coast (itself only 55 minutes drive from Glasgow).

We spent the morning walking around the south of the island from the village of Kilchattan - the skies were bright blue, the air was warm, the sea was shining, and fantastic views over Arran to the SW. Perfect.

I even managed to fit in a bit of geology…

In the afternoon, we visited Mount Stuart, a Gothic Revival mansion owned by successive Marquises of Bute, once the wealthiest family in Europe. The mansion is an incredible Arts and Crafts vision, full of light, fantastic materials and incredible artwork.

1. Footpaths. The ability to take an OS map and construct a walk by joining up the green (1:25000) or red (1:50000) dashed lines. Scotland has “open access” but the absence of marked rights-of-way means that you can’t tell from the map whether a path is private.
2. St George’s flags fluttering from cars. And the general excitement of being part of a World Cup.
3. Food culture. OK, we have just been to Ludlow, one of the foodie capitals of the UK, but I like markets with fresh veg, local cheeses, locally farmed meats, local strawberries, bakeries with interesting buns and fresh, crumbly croissants. Not to mention the choice of restaurants and pubs.
4. Weather. It’s always 5° warmer down south, and it doesn’t rain as much!
5. Rural churches. They always seem to be open. Cool, calm, quiet, welcoming spaces that punctuate a walk perfectly.

My all-time favourite restaurant, Claude and Claire Bosi’s Hibiscus, continued to deliver at their Michelin 2-star quality:

Gruyere choux pastries

Watermelon soda with black olive foam

Savoury ice cream of foie gras, warm emulsion of brioche, balsamic vinegar caramel
Cornish crab with William pear and a honey balsamic dressing

Roast whole Cornish lobster with pea tops, wild asparagus and chicken jus
Pan-fried sea bass, smoked aubergine puree, artichoke, mushroom and spring onion toast

Cheese: Swiss hard, Durres, Ticklemore, Bleu de neige (Auvergne), French soft, served with raisin & red onion chutney, apricot bread and oatcakes

Meadowsweet panna cotta with golden delicious puree
Lovage jelly, English strawberry and black pepper cream

Vacherin of French meringue, black cherry, cherry compote and cream
Iced olive oil, shortbread and English strawberries

Coffee and petit fours

Following a crisp white wine in The Globe (non-smoking )

Tofu satay
Thai fishcakes

Green curry & chicken
Roast duck with tamarind
Coconut rice & sticky rice