Celebrations

6th May, 2009.

This is getting really terrible.I'm just not managing to get into the habit of blogging again. Maybe it's because I don't have much to blog about!. Anyway here I go again. Was at my cousin, Agnes's 80th birthday party on 11th April at the Bruntsfield hotel (Very posh) and enjoyed it very much. She was a doctor and when we were both at Preston Lodge, I was always being told I should study hard like her and go to university, but I was too interested in other things then -boys mainly! Not John though, he came later and was worth waiting for.It was Helen's birthday too. Can't believe she's sixty five! We still call her "the bairn". Last week she was away with friends to Liverpool, doing the Beatles tour and had a great time. Next week she's off to New York for Al's nephew's wedding.The reception is in New York Central Park, so I'm dying to see the photos. I'll miss her when she's away, as she usually pops in two or three times a week. Dick and Joyce are London this week.Hope they got on all right as Dick's not been very well.
I'm feeling a bit better, now that I'm off the steroids thank goodness, but still not very great at walking. I'm very lucky, as I can always get lifts.
I was at Margo's on Easter Sunday and Ailie came to stay for two nights. It was great having her. We went to Sandra's on the Monday as she wanted to see Vincent, so we both enjoyed that too. Nice visit from Louise who had been at York and brought me a bag with" Betty's" on it from the cafe, a ceramic butterfly for the fridge and a Maggie o' Farell book "The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox", which I thoroughly enjoyed.I was really taken by surprise with the ending!
Jonathan was here this weekend and It was great having him too. It was supposed to be a study weekend, as his Standard Grade exams start this week, but we only looked at a couple of English papers, but I could tell he will do well anyway. He did his Italian on Monday and has Music on Thursday and English on Friday. Bobby and Arthur here on Saturday sorting out stuff in the hut and Margo was looking for wood to make swords for Ailie for her Highland Dancing. Her Grandpa would have enjoyed making them,but her dad's going to have a bash.
Pleased to hear Carol Ann Duffy has been made made Poet Laureate. Very well deserved.
Monday night I watched a programme on BBC4 called "A poet's guide to Britain" which was mainly about Wordsworth's sonnet "Composed upon Wesrminster Bridge", which is one of my favourites. It was very well done. When I was at London last year, I wanted to stand on the bridge and say it but we couldn't get off the bus!
Yesterday, Kay and the boys came to take me out. We were going to go to Merryhatton, but decided to go to the cafe in Port Seton instead, where we had a lovely lunch,then went to Helen and Al's. She showed us her wedding outfit which is lovely and of course Al will be wearing his kilt.When we came up, Kay helped me to make soup and the boys watched a video of Laurel and Hardy. No matter how many times they watch it they fall about laughing every time! It's a treat to hear them.
Today, I pottered in the garden for a wee while, trimming clematis etc. but I can't do much.It was pleasant sitting in the fresh air though when the sun was out, so had my cup of tea alfresco.
Margo called in on her way to band practice. Gave me three lovely photos of Keir, which were taken by a specialist photographer at school.
Find Corrie quite intriguing at the moment. Wonder if Ken is going to be found out?

September in the Rain

Tuesday, 16th September.

Pretty miserable weather today, but pleasant surprise when I went to pull the curtains in John’s room. The clematis just outside the window is full lof buds.I thought it was dead, as it hasn’t flowered for ages, so it quite lifted my spirits. I think it’s a message from John actually, as he always liked the different view of the garden from his window, especially in the latter stages of his illness. As I look out when I’m typing this, I see a faint glimpse of sun, so I may manage a wee walk later on.

“The best laid schemes o’ mice and men gang aft agley” as Rabbie Burns said. When I was tidying the front room( trying to do too many things at once as usual) my toe caught on the lamp cable, the base crashed into pieces,the bulb shattering all over the place. Picked up as much as I could and put it into a bag,went to get hoover, forgot the tube was choked and I couldn’t clear it. Had a wee seat and a coffee to calm myself down and read some of the poems from the book I’d bought at Blairgowrie. Luckily Helen came in, swept up the smaller fragments, cleared the hoover and changed the lamps over, then we had lunch. Great to have a wee sister.

After she’d left, started trying to organise the book shelves, but I should have known better! When I lifted the folders off the bottom shelf everything fell out all over the place. However, it made it easier to reorganise and that’s what I’d been intending to do anyway. Going to put stuff I rarely need on bottom shelf. Did a wee bit, then Jean phoned to tell me the eye hospital had been in touch and she’s to go on Thursday to discuss her tests. Sounded a bit apprehensive, so asked her round a wee while. Glad her daughter is back from holiday in America and is going with her.

Lilian popped in then and I gave her some apples. They’re not very good this year, very small. We talked about the soldier killed in Iraq last week. i know It happens all the time, but it really brings it home, when It’s someone whose family you know. His Granny and Grandpa both come from the Pans and I remember his mum as a young girl.Thank goodness Craig didn’t stay in the airforce!

Glad Ian Gray won the leadership contest.Let’s hope he can make a difference to the present state of the Labour party.