Thursday 14th December
A walk in the morning after my yoga session with Adrianne. When I returned I found that my case had been half-packed by Maggi and a whole series of questions about what I planned to take with me to Scotland.
We hadn’t seen Sarah, Adam and the family since September so we both looked forward to see how the grandchildren had changed and to give my son a big hug.
The slight delay to the flight and we landed 20 minutes later than scheduled Adam picked us up with Islay and Keir in the van. I managed to squeeze a hug for both grandchildren and our son.
When we arrived Sarah had the food all prepared. She had created spaghetti bolognaise which was slightly sweet for my taste. However when I countered the sweetness with a dose of ground black pepper it tasted perfect.
After diner we only sat around for a short time. Sarah watched while Adam and I helped with Maggi to clear up. When most of the dishes were either washed or hidden away in the dishwater Sarah disappeared with Finn without saying goodnight. I kind of expexted her for the rest of the even.
Friday 15th
Alex’s birthday today. Hopefully we will speak to her in the afternoon and wish her a happy 43rd. I sent her a Moonpig card with the headline “Happy Birthday to someone who remembers what it was like to sit on the loo without a smartphone”. I believe she found it amusing.
Sarah took the youngest two to their junior school while the eldest made their own way to their school. About half hour in to the day Sarah called to say there had been a problem with Sorely and Adam needed to collect him. Why Sarah couldn’t miss her course and Adam had to stop his work we will never know. Neither did we find out what caused the problem with Sorely at school.
Maggi and I walked to Queens Park station where we caught the train to Glasgow Central. The return fare for the two of us only cost £4.60.
We had a very nice coffee at Cafe Fame on Hope St. Not only did they sell excellent coffee but they served you at the table and had created a very warm atmosphere. We then continued our tour of the shopping area proceeding up Buchanan St where we found a tourist shop selling Christmas jumpers. Maggi and I both purchased a celebration sweater.
On the way back to the train station we popped into the Apple Shop where we bought a new cover for our iPhone 12. Well, my phone cover wasn’t in a good condition but Maggi ended up with the new case. I was awarded her old case that was still in good condition.
Back to Regents Park Square before we went out to lunch at the local restaurant, Lobo. https://www.loboglasgow.co.uk/. Sarah couldn’t join us as she had returned from college and now had to stay in to look after Sorely.
The place is a Tapas bar and provides a limited number of dishes, which I always think is a good sign. The beetroot and smoked salmon I enjoyed along with the risotto. All the other dishes I rated as OK but they tended to be overly gluey, with an over indulgence of creamy sauce.
Adam returned earlier than Maggi and I. The rest of the evening we sat around reading or watching the telly. The end of the night saw Adam, Keir and I watching the second half of Spurs 2-0 win at Forest.
Saturday 16th
I’ve forgotten how cold it can get standing beside a pitch watching the kids play sport. This morning Adam and I came to watch Keir play football in a nearby park. The wind blew and my hands froze. In fact just before half-time I dodged into a nearby cafe to warm up.
The shelter gave me a chance to write a few more words to this diary entry. The social enterprise cafe gives mentally handicapped young adults a chance to work. The cost of a bacon sandwich and a cup of tea at £3.50 seemed like a bargain.
Keir’s team won 5-1 so he and his friend remained in a good mood all the way home. Sarah, Maggi and the rest of the gang had gone to the cinema while Adam and I watched Keir. They had returned before us and cooked the ham dry. The potatoes cooked in duck fat tasted great, but the rest of the meal didn’t match.
After lunch until bedtime we just sat around, reading, eating supper or watching the telly. None of us showed any imagination or interest in being more creative. I ended the day watching match of the day which included the surprising result Manchester City 2-2 against Crystal Palace.
Sunday 17th
Another miserable day in Scotland’s commercial capital, rain, wind, grey and cold. After the usual shouting and general mayhem the target departure time for Sarah’s parents house is set at 10:15. As it happens we leave at 10:20 which wasn’t too bad.
As usual Rachel and Craig welcome us with open arms. We all move to the sitting room where all 10 of us can sit around the edge of the room. After a brief chit chat Rachel asks about tea and coffee. For a change I ask for tea. Craig comes over to talk to me which I found very gracious. I asked him about his art, his album collection, Bob Dylan, but I think it would be awhile before we found a topic that we both would feel totally comfortable with.
Their son Joe appears around the door. I didn’t recognise him. He doesn’t look anything like I remember him. He has lost the puppy fat. Maggi told me that his wife Karina recently left him. They had two children together. No one mentioned anything about this family disaster.
We stay for less than 1 hour and drive to The Sherbrooke House Hotel for a drink. I don’t know why we should have a pre-lunch sup, but these decisions are made without me being involved. We only have one drink. While we are there in this very formal hotel the kids behaved themselves very well. It seemed strange to me to bring 4 young and usually very boisterous children to such a stick in the mud venue.
We then headed to the West End to have lunch at Ka Pao. The place had almost the same number of servers as clients when we arrived. Maggi decided to order the mixed plates for 4 for the adults, and the kids had the children’s menu. Altogether we consumed about 10 different dishes which were all very tasty. Maggi and Sarah had a pudding and the whole deal came to £300.
We drove home and sat down in front of the TV.
Monday 18th December
Sarah drove us to the airport for the first time, which was very helpful. We arrived in plenty of time and spent the two hours waiting for our flight which took off on time. At Heathrow Terminal Parking delivered our car a after only few minutes and we drove home glad to be back in the comfort and quiet.
We could have done so much more over the weekend but no-one had put in the effort to sort anything out, myself included. Next time we go up there we must make an effort.