Sunshine!

The sun’s been shining since Friday. Like most folk, when the sun's out it doesn't take much to make me feel happy so I've had a great weekend.

It was a public holiday on Friday as it was the day of the much-hyped royal wedding. I’m not a royalist, but I thought Will and Kate’s wedding was lovely. I remember the day that Charlie and Diana got married. Alex and I wanted to be as far away from the telly as possible. We were only 17 and couldn’t give a monkey’s about the royal family or the royal wedding. We went for a long walk, stopped for a wee, ahem, rest in a field up by Palacerigg Country Park then came home to find my Mum and her friends still glued to the telly and still discussing Diana’s dress. I remember being angry about the amount of money being spent on all the pomp and circumstance and just thinking it was all so over the top and ridiculous. I felt very differently on Friday – but I can’t really explain why. Just like my mum all those years ago, I was glued to the telly and still discussing Kate’s lovely dress with all and sundry hours after the event. It was just a real feel-good occasion (and I did think her dress was gorgeous!).

On Saturday Alex and I went for a drive to one of the forest trails near Aberfoyle. I sat in the sun and read my book while Alex went off for a wee run, then we drove through the forest and on to The Byre for lunch. We’ve not eaten there for years. In fact, the last time was when we had a meal out to celebrate our neighbours’ wedding anniversary. They’re still our neighbours, but we don’t really see them socially any more. It can be quite awkward when that sort of thing happens; you become really friendly with your neighbours when you first move in, then start to drift apart – and it’s not always because you dislike each other, you just get to know each other a bit better and realise that you’re just not each other’s social cup of tea! Anyway, it was nice to be back at The Byre where we sat outside in the beer garden and had a lovely wee cock-a-leekie crumble (delicious!) in the sun.

On Saturday night we helped out at the Strathcarron Hospice Ladies Midnight Tiara Walk. It’s an event that started a couple of years ago and I usually ‘do’ the walk. Around 2000 women leave Stirling Rugby Club at midnight, all wearing flashing pink tiaras, and walk either 5 or 10 miles around the city. It’s a fantastic spectacle and a great event to participate in, but I enjoyed being there as a steward last night and shouting (well, as much as you can shout with laryngitis) encouragement to the walkers.

The only drawback with helping at the Midnight Walk was that I missed a social night out with folk from the new choir. Gordon went along himself. I think one of the signs of a good community is the extent it will go to to make its new members feel welcome and like they belong. And Gordon certainly felt like he belonged last night! He was singing and dancing and making new friends into the wee small hours. I’m really hoping that my voice will be strong enough to let me go along to rehearsal tomorrow night so that I can start to get to know more of the choir members a bit better too (I am also looking forward to the singing!).

Today I’ve done absolutely nothing. Well, not nothing; I met Alex for a lovely al fresco breakfast at a wee cafe in Bridge of Allan (Alex had been for a long cycle and I drove out there to meet him), I hung out a few washings, I went for a wee walk round Watson House and I pulled out a few weeds (few being the operative word!). Other than that, I sat on my backside out in the garden soaking up the sunshine, slept a bit, read a bit and enjoyed a barbeque with the boys tonight. A perfect lazy Sunday with no guilt at not really doing anything constructive (I had been out helping with a charity event into the wee small hours remember..!). And, tomorrow's the May day holiday. Hooray! Hopefully the sunshine will last just one more day - though I really should do something a bit more productive...but then again, it is a holiday....and sitting in the sun reading counts a wee bit as productive, doesn't it..?!