Family weekend

Monday 5th November.

Feel as if I’ve had a “Lost Weekend” as my old back pain still bad. Couldn’t do much and worried about the work being done in the kitchen. Felt drugged up to the eyeballs with pain killers.Family been great of course. Stuart here on Saturday and emptied out the units and the girls here on Sunday. Kay got things things organised, Margo made tea,prepared my evening meal and took the flowers to her Dad. Catherine and Kay had a good blether about jobs in schools etc. and Arthur chatted to me and the bairns.We watched old videos of them when they were wee.They love that.I had mixed feelings watching them as seeing John in them made me love him all the more and miss him all the more at the same time.(if that makes sense).

Great excitement when we heard the wild geese calling. Rushed to the door and there they were,flying in formation against a pink sky. Isn’t Nature wonderful!

'And far abune the Angus straths I saw the wild geese flee,
A lang, lang skein o' beatin' wings wi' their heids towards the sea,
And aye their cryin' voices trailed ahint them on the air—'
'O Wind, hae maircy, haud yer whisht, for I daurna listen mair!'

abune = above
straths = valleys, glens
haud yer whisht = keep quiet!
daurna listen mair = dare not listen more

At night I just stretched out and watched telly. Especially liked “Room with a View”. I’ve seen it before (The Merchant Ivory production” ) but the old romantic in me couldn’t resist it. I just love E.M. Forster’s novels and have read them over and over again. He is so good at these social comedies which expose the class ridden. sexually repressed society of the Edwardians.

On Saturday “Scotland’s Music” introduced by Phil Cunningham was excellent and what made it specially interesting was that it started off in the Pans! There he was standing at the Tower, with a group singing “Johnnie Cope”. Not just the music , but the scenery too made this a great programme.John would have loved it. I like Barbara Dickson singing. Much better than Eddie Reader. I noticed Annemarie Allan mentioned in the credits.

Guy Fawkes day today. Met Margaret Hutt last week. She reminded me how all her family used to come to us on 5th November, when we had a mini bonfire, I made stovies and John made toffee apples. Happy days!

Been at doctor this morning. Pain patches increased, so here’s hoping that does the trick.