Back in Scotland 2018 part 2

29th June

Hi girls, I’ve meant to tell you we have had smashin’ weather since we’ve arrived. Every day like lovely spring in Oz. Some days hotter than that. Everyone is getting sunburnt.
Of course only us Aussies are completely happy about it as the poor locals are finding it hard to cope.
Last night we were in a Folk music bar and met a Swedish couple, Maria and Kenneth, and we got along well and had a great blether. They were amazed when I told them Edinburgh had a beach at Portobello. Today they sent me a great photo of the beach there , and she said she’d ha a lovely swim. It really looked lovely and brought back memories of me playing in the water there when young.
Today I had lunch with a friend Claire who teaches music, and tomorrow dad takes Sheila’s car back, and we’ll take her for lunch. After that we meet our Burns Friend Jim, at another music bar. At night I’m going to a folk club and dad might come along.

We’re already packing some stuff in prep for our Wednesday flight. Time has flown but we will be glad to get home to our favourite people, and you can guess who they are! I do hope you’re getting my emails. Don’t think Dad has sent much, as really, life has been more than usually full this time. Hugs and kisses to all.
Love mum

 28th June

Hi Lisa and Dianne,
Well we are winding down a bit, as not too long to go now. We have had quite a few adventures, though, and one was when we stayed at Leith for a night. I booked us into a place there, as it was the cheapest, and was thrilled to find it was a beautiful place, and had been the old GPO. It was listed as a hostel but it’s the best I’ve ever stayed in. we really discovered another part of Edinburgh we didn’t really know. So that was nice.

Tonight we’ve just come home from a lovely night in a music pub up near Greyfriars Bobby. A swedish couple sat at our table and they were great company, and blathered all night. So just got home and it’s 1.30am!
Last night we went to a show with a great music group we love, and tomorrow I’ll be meeting a friend for a cuppa, so the social life is full on,

So sorry to hear of Phil’s Dad, Lisa. Can you tell him I am thinking of him.

Well, must get off to bed now. Dad sends his love.
Lots of love from me too.
Mum

20th June

Hi Lisa and John, Dianne and the family, you’ll be sad to hear the Mackintosh art building has been. Destroyed by fire again. It’s not long been redone. The news papers quote is that the brand new sprinkler system didn’t work! Seems crazy in this day and age, not sure if they’ll get funds to rebuild.

We were over to see billy and Mary & Alex etc last nigh and had a good blether, but waiting for the train after billy dropped us off at the station mead absolutely freezing because the weather has completely changed. There a long cold spell expected.

We were at the wee folk club the other night and I won the raffle. Turned out to be an XX large shirt, too big even for Dad. We had a laugh, I,lol juSt donate it back next time we’re there.
Tonight we’re at a Burns society friends place. He writes songs too, so we enjoy that and he is a very humorous character too. He picks us up from the Diggers pub, ( Gr,ave Diggers that is, since it’s close the the graveyard.

Friday dad and I will go to theSkylark cafe music night. Dad doesn’t usually come with me to thes things, but he so much enjoyed it last time, he plans to come.

Wednesday we’ll be at theLeith Folk Club as one of our favourite groups the North Sea Gas is on, and we have a few friends there too.
Well must go and cook some dinner. Lots of love to all.
mum/nan/dad/Pop.

13th June

Hi my two lovelies. Sorry we’re not in touch much, but we always seem to be on the go.
We’ve been to a number of events with friends, and each year we seem to make new, and very good friends. We were out with Sheila, my cousin Johns widow, one night for dinner and she again gave us her car for a couple of weeks, which is super kind of her. So, we went over to Airdrie for some family history research, as dad had discovered a lot of my rellies came from there. Well it took us a while to actually find, what is a fairly large town. We did find they have a very good family history section, but as it was Saturday half day, it was about to shut, so we’ll go back another day.

We’ve had a number of dinners and concert night with friends too, and iv had lunches and numerous cuppa with friendsWendy, Claire, Margaret, And Jan, plus visits to the folk clubs in the evenings.
Dad and I went to visit my families graves to lay flowers as we always do and dad went with Alex to visit Grannies and Johns, and others of his families graves, as that day I was a bit off colour. I had eaten something that upset my tummy.

So time just flies. Next week we’ll meet up with Sheila’s family for dinner when we return the car. They’re the descendants of my lovely,and very comically brilliant, Auntie Grace. They are all very nice and so are their children, but they are quiet and gentle and a bit shy by nature, so unlike Auntie Grace, but then her husband Uncle Ken was like that. Do these things get handed down in the genes, I wonder.
Mind you, in all this we do miss all of you very much, and we hope everything is going well, for everybody. So lots of love to you, two, and give our love to all the family.
Love and hugs, Mum.

4th June

 Hi Lisa & Dianne.
Just had some weird things happen when I tried to use the email, so glad I was able to get to this. I shouldn’t complain really as it is an excellent way to keep in touch.

Just was reading about Dundee which lately has had a massive makeover, so when we have Sheila’s car we might go there. You can go by train, a lovely journey, but as it’s the one goes up north and their are literally millions more tourists at present the train is a 3 hour nightmare. One good thing about the trains is the do have toilets but you can imagine them in that situation. So the car will be great. When we hand it back we will do so at a dinner at Toby’s with my Mum’s side of the family. They are from Armadale side, my lovely, crazy comic Auntie grace, my grans sister. They are lovely, fairly quiet until they get going, and all including the children, very clever. We only really connected to them at a meal last year, and plan to do one each year.
Just saw a soccer article that said a 16 year old player called Gilmour, who plays for the under 21 Rangers team scored the goals that puts the team into the Europa league semi finals at Toulon.
We had a great day at the museum here yesterday, and the are bringing a Rennie Mackintosh one before we leave. The museum itself is so beautiful insid with the best upper balcony tea room, so we love it. Dad is back to his research today, and I’m trying to reorganise my chaos. Wednesday night is the song contest with 5 friends, so life is fun.
Missing all of you though. Hugs to all
Mum

4th June

Hi Lisa and John and the young ‘uns.
We have been so lucky with the weather and today was no exception.we had a nice walk to the Museum, and had a tour of that and as some of you would know how fantastic it is. It is so beautiful too and we had our lunch on the 3rd storey looking down into the grand gallerywhich makes lunch so special. They had an exhibition that Cameron might have found interesting, a history of medical prosthetics, with some examples on display. They will have a Rennie Mackintos exhibition soon , so we will plan for that.
Saturday we had been in Glasgow for the day and mostly did some strolling and shopping, but just enjoyed the train ride with cups of tea and tunnochs caramel waver on board! Oh it’s a hard life.
Soon we’ll have the use of Sheila’s car so we will go to Stirling Armadadale And Whitburn to put flowers on the graves, but also take Alex to see Uncle Freddie who really is fading. But he is in his 90,s, so it’s to be expected.

Well I missed out in entering the song contest, but there,s 6 of us going to see it on Wednesday, having dinner beforehand, so it will be fun. The guy who was going to play his guitar to accompany me will come up from England too.

Sound like you are pretty busy Lisa,and glad you had a nice trip along the great ocean road. I went there once with my cousin,s wife when I had a few days with her in Melbourne. I loved it. Dad has never been so I should take him. We did go to Melbourne via the great South Road and that is lovely, also did some of the mountain villages. Would live to go back.
Well must go and get some sleep. Hope everyone is going well, lots of loveMum/Nan.

1st June

Hi girls , l,m hoping you are getting these emails, as tech stuff is beyond me over here!
Don’t know if you got the message that I was too late with my entry for the Song Contest, again cause d by a tech thing. W as quite upset, but Kay sera.
Anyway friends and I and dad will go and have a good time. You get to vote for a People’s award, and their us a judges one too. There will be 6 of us going and we’ll have a meal together before, so should be fun. The guy who wanted to play guitar for me if I went into the comp,Eric, is coming up from England,too.

The weather here continues to be super! Nearly a month and no rain, and nice and warm. How lucky is that. Dad took me out for the day yesterday, as he knew I was a bit upset about the song comp.(it was a sacrifice for him as he loves every day in the family history centre. it was a glorious day and we walked for about 5 hours!
We had dinner the day before with Sheila, wife of my lovely cousin John who died a few years ago. Again she, given us the use of her car from 7th to 16th, which is so kind of her.so we’ll get to see a but more of the country, and some rellies not easy to get on Public transport. Wendy has been a great help, and got me registered with Brit rail as pensioner, so saving a lot. Rail is unbelievers expensive, so very grateful for that.

Politics here are still all about Brexit. seems to have gone on for ever. I think Scots gov wants to have their own arrangement to stay with it, but as usual London can do what the like with the Scots, and Theresa May wants to stay.
Well must go, but we really miss all of you. Hugs and kisses to all. Mum

27th May

Hi my lovelies here’s a photo of some of my lovely Parkinson’s friends at Liberton Kirkgate Cafe.

27th May

Sorry I haven’t been in touch this week, but have been at the singing course way ou in the country near Inverness in a place called Beauly: it was a singing course and it was really terrific. The old renovated sort of longhouse was big enough for 17 of us. We had sort of student style single rooms basic but comfy and warm. Tutors were 1 from 1 from uk. All the people attending were super nice. It was way out on a moor with the most wonderful vies and walks. Wendy was there too.
Lots of great stuff on writing and promoting songs done,often,with humour. At the end of the week a music tech guy cam in with a portable studio and recorded it. We will get a copy sent to us when he has created the best version. I got help for the guitar backing music from a lovely guy about my age. I had written the tune in simple chords and he created something lovely from that. We will get the cd version of all the songs sent to us electronically so I will have to get some help with that.

The system of feeding us was breakfast - help yourself. Lunch served by staff. Dinner we cooked each night in teams of 3. Saves them costs and it was a good way for us to get to know each other. The lunch staff left us recipes and we had a great laugh running around the kitchen, the blind leading the blind. Frid was haggis needs and tat ties and I was on then and we decided to surprise with a mock Burns Supper, traditionally served with a wee dram (whisky) for a toast, and a sill ceremony of stabbing the haggis. The uk ones wore Scottish hats and they gave me a country and western style and introduced me as a relative from Australia. Silly stuff but good fun, given all the cheeky quips and raucious singing of ‘rabbie’s songs.

The guy who recorded us gave us 10 min rehearsal, but more for him to set his system up and that was the day before. He said the next day might be long as he would have to do a number of takes. So on the day, nervously I sang it, and 10 secs after he said that is absolutely perfect. Away an hae a cuppa.
He said as I went out, you have a great voice, and I’ve heard your other song, Queensferry Crossing, and I’ll add that. All the pals there including One of the participants who already has a following on Spotify, told me the same. So I came home today feeling on top of the world. The song I sung is the one I’ll put in for the song comp this year again. It’s due in on Monday. Honestly this is all wonderfully amazing for me, and I don’t take it too seriously and just have fun. But you never know I could be top of the pops. Well maybe the grand pops,ha,ha.
Dad is happy to see me back tho and we’ll plan some trips.
Met a young woman, earlier in our stay, who plays beautiful violin, and she asked if we might play together, so meeting her for coffee next week. Now am back, too, Sheila will give us a loan of her car, so we plan to visit Stirling folk and the various grave sites at Whitburn and Armadale, Falkirk and Fife. Also chase up some some family history Thad dads had a wee break through. Well must go cookie buns lots of love mumxxxxxx

Sent from my iPad

20th May

I’m going away for a week on Monday, to Inverness Area. so you won’t hear from me. I’m packing right now and it’s a job I just hate,, I always park too much and then have to make painful decisions about what to leave. I need to take a very small case as at this time their are massive amounts of tourists,and the trains are packed. The trains don’t have much room for luggage either. I can recall one time I travelled with a case from Dundee, and could not only find a spot for the case but stood all the way a more than 2 hour ride, on a very hot day. I was stood in front of the doorway and the guard kept telling me I was blocking the door! Luckily it was the fast train.

We went to a birthday party the other night. Great fun and lots of singing in the back room of the Diggers club, called that because the cemetery Diggers used to get their lunch there.
At the party I met a young woman Marie, I’d met at the Burns Schools event. She plays the violin and asked if she could play my song. iactuallt one of her friends plays it on a melodian, which I’ve seen, and I know her as she was one of the singers at Wendy’s group. So that was nice. She told me she’d been to the place I’m going to on Monday is a beautiful place and the people who run the song course are lovely. So that’s good to know.
The weather here has been so very good. Every day lots of sunshine. We seem.to be busy every day, but happy to be. Dad and I went for a long walk today, and I got a bit of shopping in, and so did dad.
Sorry about no phone calls but the tech shenanigans here are beyond me, i am on face time so that might be the best way to get me.
Well must get back to the packing.
Love and hugs to all.
Mum/Nanna