Men in Skirts

Yesterday we were delegated taxi duties for Nerea and Alex who were going to watch the rugby at Murrayfield. Not being interested in team sports, I’d never before found myself in the middle of a “big game atmosphere” and had no idea of what to expect.  So, I was pleasantly surprised to find the crowds extremely friendly, with lots of good natured banter and singing. Best of all were the cross-dressing Frenchmen who fully embraced the concept of modelling tartan skirts along with their berets or feathered poulet hats.  But it was the kilted Scotsmen who really rocked the look!

Conjunctivitus

Thanks to my darling daughter, I’ve developed conjunctivitis.  Nerea succumbed last week and now I’m suffering.  As a contact lens wearer, it’s more than inconvenient.  Today, I attended a writing workshop where reading aloud was part of the programme.  Wearing ancient glasses, I could barely read my own handwriting, which isn’t great at the best of times, let alone the typewritten extracts from a variety of travel authors. But it could have been worse.   I was able to start the antibiotic eyedrops yesterday, so by the time the weekend is over, my reddened, bloodshot eyes should be returning to normal

So how was it?

Unbelievably, I’ve begun fulfilling a New Year resolution.  I’ve been determined to write more, learning techniques that will help transform my mundane musings into readable material.  But, recently, writing time has been on a downward spiral; work, albeit necessary, really is incredibly inconvenient, so I’d begun to despair. And then Andy saw the advert: a travel writing workshop in the library. SIGN ME UP IMMEDIATELY!

So, how was it for me?  Simply perfect!  I was incredibly lucky to share this afternoon with a group of talented, creative and generous people.  I’ve been inspired to progress.  Thank you all so much

My daughter, my inspiration

 Nerea celebrated her 18th birthday at the weekend so it was a time for love, tears and laughter. One of her gifts was a collage of random photos and it was so rewarding to share them with her, remembering where they’d been taken and what we’d been doing. Reminiscing made me consider writing a letter to Nerea, sharing some of my memories of the past 18 years, but also looking to the future.  So write I did, keeping it personal by writing longhand.  It was a surprisingly emotional but rewarding letter to write and we're both so pleased I did.