Leaving Glasgow.

Words just don't cut it. Gillian is a part of us. It is painful to have to say goodbye again. Extremely painful.

We spent Friday night playing Wii with great friends of Gillian's (you know who you are!!!)

.....

Not that we take that rubbish seriously or anything.

The Family Seat....

The family crest.... above the front door

Now this was REALLY cool!  And way interesting.  The current owners of the house (and of the castle ruins) have collected tonnes of information about the history of the house and of my family.  Really lovely people who welcomed us with open arms.

Oh.... as did my long-dead rellies.  Gillian, H and I heard lots of knocking noises during the night.... which could only have been my gr gr gr gr (etc) grannies and grandpas saying hullo.

The castle ruins

HMY Brittania..

There's something about perusing the royal yacht that pulls at the heart strings.

This was hysterical.  The bumper bars had to be removed to get the car on and off the yacht!!

The following photo brought tears to my eyes today.  Of course.

The Falkirk Wheel

I'm not usually into feats of engineering, but this one really is fascinating.  Worth reading about...... HERE

Monty Python, anyone?

This is Doune Castle, where they filmed "Monty Python and the Holy Grail".  

And this is a young man with his very first salmon, caught in the River Tooth (not spelled that way!!) which runs beside Doune Castle.  All TEN POUNDS of it!!  Quite amazing.

Gillian's family...

Gillian's parents re-organised their holidays to be here for the boys and me.  Pretty amazing.  And to top it off, they put on a true-blue Aussie b-b-q for us on Sunday.  Gillian's brother and his family, her sister and her family (who are absent from the above photo) and the divine Wendy made us feel special and very loved.  

And then Mike and Grant, two of Gillian's oldest friends, took the boys to see "The Incredible Hulk" while Gillian and I visited the local pub.

A wonderful day.

Up the Byres Road...

Gillian lives in the grooviest part of Glasgow, the West End. Her flat is absolutely perfectly located for pubs, restaurants, cafes, public transport and ambient strolling. And today I've done a fair bit of the latter. I was able to do that because Gillian has taken H and F to the Science Centre (an activity that would leave me yawning).


View Larger Map

And tonight we're having pre-dinner drinks with two of her dearest friends that I've not met .... and tomorrow a bar-b-que with her entire family. I'm in heaven. I barely have to make any decisions regarding food or itinerary or even bed-times! They boys adjusted instantly and completely to the local time, and although they're staying up a bit later than when we're at home (well..... we ARE on holiday) they're sleeping through.

Next week we're off to Edinburgh for a night before visiting my family's "seat" in Scotland. Yes, that's right! The Family Castle! Luckily for us it has a B&B and Gillian has organised for us to stay there. Pretty exciting stuff!!

It's very easy to feel instantly and thoroughly Scottish while staying here. All of our first names are Scottish and our surname is thoroughly and utterly Scottish too (and quite uncommon). When visiting the site of one of the most significant battles between the Scots (Jacobites) and the Government (English).... it was incredibly moving to see our forbearers' names listed amongst the dead.

In fact, I found it so disturbing that I took my tears to the car while Gillian and the boys explored further.

The Story of a Friendship

Gillian and Fe in Scotland

Fe and Gillian in Sydney

19 years ago, in San Francisco, there was an earthquake.  It was a BIG earthquake and it caused major damage to the city and it's surrounds.  The occupants of the city were concerned with the welfare of their loved ones, and with protecting their possessions.  There was no water, no electricity and no phone lines for a few days and panic was everywhere.

In a little hostel in SoMa were a bunch of travelling misfits.  Misfits because they were all travelling by themselves, in different directions, for different reasons.  They didn't "fit in" with the usual backpacking traveller of the '80's.  Most of them felt that they didn't "fit in" anywhere. 

An Australian girl was given a bed in a room which was already occupied by a Scottish girl.  

When the Aussie walked in (dramatically closing the door behind her and bemoaning the fact that she couldn't shake the gorgeous Swedish boy who'd given her a lift from Los Angeles to San Francisco) the Scot was quietly lying on a bottom bunk reading "The Shell Seekers" by Rosamunde Pilcher.  And both lives were changed forever.

The craziness of the city at that time meant that the misfit travellers were thrown together in an intimacy of forced drama and emotional turmoil.  Strong relationships developed.  9 years later, my first born child was offered up as fairy-godson to the Scot and to "big H" (whom he was also named after).  Both my sons have an "extra fairy-godmother" whom I met when she was also given a bed in the room shared by the Scot and me.

The "extra" godmother Joey, and Parisienne Fabienne (we were in Beijing together in January)

My divine Danish friend and her family (living in Lisbon)

Big H with little H and F

And in 3 weeks the boys and I will be in Scotland.  With our lovely Gillian.  And we'll visit "Big H" in England.  And then will be in Paris with Fabienne (who replaced me in my group of friends when I left San Francisco).  

And then we'll be in Lisbon with my Danish friend whom I have known for 24 years.  And then in Holland with my newest dear dear friend, Wikke.

And Gillian has gifted us the tickets for H and F.

Unbelievable.

and there was I complaining about broken chairs and cars.  sheesh.