I received a message last week that made me take a sharp intake of breath, then say out loud (even though I was sitting on my own at the time), “Oh My God!.....Woohooo!...... Aw, that’s so Great!.......Oh Help!....”
I think I mentioned, in a previous post, that I was waiting to hear if I’d been successful in an application I’d made for a 4 month part-time placement; well, the message I received started with “Congratulations!” and went on to say “You’ve been awarded a placement on the Vodafone World of Difference Programme.” It’s the news I was so hoping for and I’m still, one week later, over the moon - but also pretty nervous about the task ahead! I’ve not been allowed to write anything about it before now as we were asked to keep it to ourselves until the Vodafone Foundation launched its own press release. Now that I’m free to talk about it, I don’t really know where to start!
I think I’ll leave the details for another post. But, basically, the Vodafone World of Difference Scheme awards 500 placements in the UK each year to people who would like to try to ‘make a difference’ to a charity of their choice. It doesn’t cost the charity a penny and it gives people, like me, who love working for their charity but can’t afford to volunteer for more than a few hours a week, the opportunity to spend more time helping out. I had to put together a kind of ‘pitch’ for what I would like to do and I came up with a project called ‘A Myriad of Music’. I have absolutely no professional qualifications in music, in any way, shape or form, but I do know that music can make a difference to people’s lives. So, I’m hoping to introduce some new things to the Hospice that will be both therapeutic and enjoyable for the patients, and I also hope to raise some money for Strathcarron as part of the process. I'm also really hoping to involve as many people in this as possible (and am hoping for some help along the way!) as music is something that so many people can benefit from - whether it's listening to it, sharing it, performing it or talking about it.
I’ll record more of the details in my next post; I just wanted to note on my wee blog how excited, chuffed and privileged I feel to have been given this fantastic opportunity to work with the lovely staff and patients at Strathcarron. I can’t wait to get started on the 1st of March – and once I manage to get my nerves in check - I’m sure I’m going to love every minute!
Here's the video I made to go along with my application; hopefully it gives you the general gist of what I'm going to be doing.
Monday, 30 January 2012
Sunday, 29 January 2012
Just being more aware
I promised myself, when I started this blog last year, that I wouldn’t let a week pass by without writing a post. Ocht well, it’s been a busy two weeks! And, bearing in mind that the main purpose of the blog was to encourage me to write, I’ll let myself off as I’ve spent some of that time writing other bits and pieces (which are now filed away in my ‘maybe I’ll submit this to something someday’ folder!)
Rather than do a ‘did this, did that’ run-down of the past fortnight, I’m just going to mention one thing that sort of made me feel good. It might sound a bit weird that this thing made me feel good, but I’ll try my best to explain why.
A sense of raised awareness about any topic, I think, is no bad thing; even when that topic is a particularly harrowing one. At last week’s Samaritans Branch Meeting, a representative from Open Secret – a charity that provides support for adult survivors of childhood abuse - gave a presentation which not only described the range of services that they offer, but also made me so much more aware of the range of issues that survivors of abuse have to cope with. She also brought along a DVD, filmed by and featuring survivors themselves, which was simply heart-breaking. However, the overall message - that both the support worker who came to our meeting and the survivors on the DVD portrayed - was one of hope, and acknowledgement of the strength that can be gained through being listened to, being believed and being supported.
Our branch often invites along speakers; it not only encourages more SAMS to come to (the sometimes otherwise mundane) branch meetings, but it also helps in our role as volunteers. Last month we had a visit from a local Consultant Psychiatrist, along with a nurse who specialises in new therapies for mental health disorders, such as Bipolar and the like, and a few months ago we had a talk from a recovering alcoholic. All have been interesting, some have been difficult to listen to, but all have raised my awareness of some of the issues that some of the people who call Samaritans are having to deal with. Now, I should make it clear that I don’t think it’s at all essential that I have in-depth knowledge of these issues. After all, as the old saying goes, “there is a great difference between knowing and understanding: you can know a lot about something but not really understand it!”
SAMS are on the end of the phones to - first and very much foremost - offer emotional support. But I’m glad that the organisation encourages its volunteers to listen carefully not only to its callers, but to other agencies and support networks too; not so that we can become armed with knowledge, but just so that we can become a wee bit more aware of some of the many issues that callers have experienced, or are experiencing, in their lives.
As I said at the beginning of this post, maybe it sounds a bit weird that having a raised awareness of some of the really awful things that folk have to contend with is something to feel ‘good’ about; but it’s the idea that that raised awareness can help in a supporting role; that's what makes me feel good, not the awful thing itself.
I hope that made some kind of sense – this post’s been written in a bit of a rush while I’m procrastinating over an assignment for my course that’s due in soon. Part of the assignment involves reflecting on things I’ve become more aware of about myself over this past year – so, thank you blog for finding me a starting point... “One of the things that I’ve become more aware of is how difficult I sometimes find it to express why something makes me feel good......”
Rather than do a ‘did this, did that’ run-down of the past fortnight, I’m just going to mention one thing that sort of made me feel good. It might sound a bit weird that this thing made me feel good, but I’ll try my best to explain why.
A sense of raised awareness about any topic, I think, is no bad thing; even when that topic is a particularly harrowing one. At last week’s Samaritans Branch Meeting, a representative from Open Secret – a charity that provides support for adult survivors of childhood abuse - gave a presentation which not only described the range of services that they offer, but also made me so much more aware of the range of issues that survivors of abuse have to cope with. She also brought along a DVD, filmed by and featuring survivors themselves, which was simply heart-breaking. However, the overall message - that both the support worker who came to our meeting and the survivors on the DVD portrayed - was one of hope, and acknowledgement of the strength that can be gained through being listened to, being believed and being supported.
Our branch often invites along speakers; it not only encourages more SAMS to come to (the sometimes otherwise mundane) branch meetings, but it also helps in our role as volunteers. Last month we had a visit from a local Consultant Psychiatrist, along with a nurse who specialises in new therapies for mental health disorders, such as Bipolar and the like, and a few months ago we had a talk from a recovering alcoholic. All have been interesting, some have been difficult to listen to, but all have raised my awareness of some of the issues that some of the people who call Samaritans are having to deal with. Now, I should make it clear that I don’t think it’s at all essential that I have in-depth knowledge of these issues. After all, as the old saying goes, “there is a great difference between knowing and understanding: you can know a lot about something but not really understand it!”
SAMS are on the end of the phones to - first and very much foremost - offer emotional support. But I’m glad that the organisation encourages its volunteers to listen carefully not only to its callers, but to other agencies and support networks too; not so that we can become armed with knowledge, but just so that we can become a wee bit more aware of some of the many issues that callers have experienced, or are experiencing, in their lives.
As I said at the beginning of this post, maybe it sounds a bit weird that having a raised awareness of some of the really awful things that folk have to contend with is something to feel ‘good’ about; but it’s the idea that that raised awareness can help in a supporting role; that's what makes me feel good, not the awful thing itself.
I hope that made some kind of sense – this post’s been written in a bit of a rush while I’m procrastinating over an assignment for my course that’s due in soon. Part of the assignment involves reflecting on things I’ve become more aware of about myself over this past year – so, thank you blog for finding me a starting point... “One of the things that I’ve become more aware of is how difficult I sometimes find it to express why something makes me feel good......”
Sunday, 15 January 2012
Still not doing very much...
I’ve managed to while away today sitting and thinking about all the things that I should really be doing. Ocht, it’s Sunday – and we just got home from our wee break yesterday – so I’m not going to get too hung up on the fact that the day’s nearly over and I’ve still done nothing. Actually, I’ve not done nothing; I’ve uploaded a few photos. Though - as I said in reply to one of the comments made on my last post - I didn’t take too many photos while we were away as I was too busy doing, well, nothing.....
So, here’s a wee snapshot of what I’ve been surrounded by for the past few days. Maybe the photos will help explain why I’m still feeling so chilled out today. (They look a bit clearer when you click on them.) It’s back to the grind tomorrow but, until then, I’m off to indulge in another few hours of doing, well, nothing very much at all....
So, here’s a wee snapshot of what I’ve been surrounded by for the past few days. Maybe the photos will help explain why I’m still feeling so chilled out today. (They look a bit clearer when you click on them.) It’s back to the grind tomorrow but, until then, I’m off to indulge in another few hours of doing, well, nothing very much at all....
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| Oor holiday lodge back yard |
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| Just before the sun went down |
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| Over the roof |
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| Through Glen Shee on the road home |
Wednesday, 11 January 2012
Enjoying not doing very much at all
It’s strange for me to be sitting here in my jammies, just pondering, at eleven thirty on a Wednesday morning. Normally, I’d either be work working, or at the hospice, or on some course or another, or – although much less likely – doing some house-work. Today’s completely different as I’m away from home, up north, for a wee mini-holiday.
I arrived last night; Alex and Ross have been here since Saturday and have clearly been enjoying doing what they love to do most for the past few days. I know this from the number of empty beer bottles waiting to go to the recycling bin and the mountains of manky running gear waiting to go in the wash! It's great that they had that bit of time to themselves - I couldn’t join them till last night as I had my course to go to on Monday and Tuesday - but it’s great to be here now. I’m really looking forward to a few days of catching up on some reading, doing some writing, going out walking and just chilling. It’s kind of a weird time to for us to go on holiday, but it’s often a fairly quiet time for us work-wise. Alex had hardly any time off last year, so we decided to make leisure hay while the work sun wouldn’t be shining and booked this wee lodge, in the beautiful Highlands, a while back.
Sod’s law has seen Scotland being battered by some pretty horrendous storms over the past few weeks. Fortunately, not many people were hurt and, as far as I know, no one was too seriously or fatally injured. Unfortunately, many people have faced the difficulties that arise through having no power or have sustained substantial damage to their property. Loads of stone chimneys have been toppled, many boundary walls have collapsed and scores of trees have fallen down, with many of them damaging stone-built things in the process. Consequently, what is often a snow-bound, quiet (and, therefore, often worrying) time for us in our wee stonemasonry business, has turned out this year to be one of our busiest. And we’re away from home. Up north. On holiday.
Yup, sod’s law.
Ocht, it’s not really that big a deal; we’ve left our great wee team of lads to keep things ticking over, we’re picking up messages from the answer phone and we’re responding to emails and answering queries through our website. We’re making sure folk don’t think we’re ignoring their calls and assuring them that Alex’ll be out to see them as soon as possible. Thank goodness for computers and mobile phones! When I think back to this time last year – when we were worried sick about an ex-employee issue and the fact that we hadn’t been able to do any constructive work for over a month because of the snow – I’m so thankful that our wee business is still here for folk to contact at all. Many other good small business’s haven’t been so lucky over these past few, economically bloody difficult, years.
So, we're looking forward to a busy work work time over the next few months. For the moment though, it’s a toss-up between getting down to some serious writing, coorying up with my new Kindle (Santa was good to me), or getting up off my butt and going for a wee walk in the sunshine (yes, sunshine, in January, in Scotland!!).
Lovely choices; but I think I’ll just sit here, look out at the beautiful surrounding scenery, and ponder for a wee bit longer....
I arrived last night; Alex and Ross have been here since Saturday and have clearly been enjoying doing what they love to do most for the past few days. I know this from the number of empty beer bottles waiting to go to the recycling bin and the mountains of manky running gear waiting to go in the wash! It's great that they had that bit of time to themselves - I couldn’t join them till last night as I had my course to go to on Monday and Tuesday - but it’s great to be here now. I’m really looking forward to a few days of catching up on some reading, doing some writing, going out walking and just chilling. It’s kind of a weird time to for us to go on holiday, but it’s often a fairly quiet time for us work-wise. Alex had hardly any time off last year, so we decided to make leisure hay while the work sun wouldn’t be shining and booked this wee lodge, in the beautiful Highlands, a while back.
Sod’s law has seen Scotland being battered by some pretty horrendous storms over the past few weeks. Fortunately, not many people were hurt and, as far as I know, no one was too seriously or fatally injured. Unfortunately, many people have faced the difficulties that arise through having no power or have sustained substantial damage to their property. Loads of stone chimneys have been toppled, many boundary walls have collapsed and scores of trees have fallen down, with many of them damaging stone-built things in the process. Consequently, what is often a snow-bound, quiet (and, therefore, often worrying) time for us in our wee stonemasonry business, has turned out this year to be one of our busiest. And we’re away from home. Up north. On holiday.
Yup, sod’s law.
Ocht, it’s not really that big a deal; we’ve left our great wee team of lads to keep things ticking over, we’re picking up messages from the answer phone and we’re responding to emails and answering queries through our website. We’re making sure folk don’t think we’re ignoring their calls and assuring them that Alex’ll be out to see them as soon as possible. Thank goodness for computers and mobile phones! When I think back to this time last year – when we were worried sick about an ex-employee issue and the fact that we hadn’t been able to do any constructive work for over a month because of the snow – I’m so thankful that our wee business is still here for folk to contact at all. Many other good small business’s haven’t been so lucky over these past few, economically bloody difficult, years.
So, we're looking forward to a busy work work time over the next few months. For the moment though, it’s a toss-up between getting down to some serious writing, coorying up with my new Kindle (Santa was good to me), or getting up off my butt and going for a wee walk in the sunshine (yes, sunshine, in January, in Scotland!!).
Lovely choices; but I think I’ll just sit here, look out at the beautiful surrounding scenery, and ponder for a wee bit longer....
Saturday, 7 January 2012
Knowing a friend got through the day
At times today, my mind’s been wandering back to this day two years ago. We lost a very dear family friend who’d been suffering from depression. January the 7th will probably always be a day that’s tinged with sadness for me - and it’ll probably always be a day that’s full of sadness for his wife and children. I’ve tried to avoid playing it over in my head, without success – I simply can’t imagine how it must be for them. His wife’s a very special pal of mine and my heart aches for her.
Just as I said in yesterday’s post, everyone has terrible times in their lives – especially when they lose someone they love. And, it’s such a hard fact of life that we’ll all lose people we love.
So, what made me feel good today? Well, although it was a day tinged with sadness, lots of things. The one that stands out though was receiving a nice wee message - in return to one I’d sent earlier - from a special pal whose day was probably full of sadness. Knowing that she’d got through the day, that she's OK, that she's with her family, and - thinking back to Jung’s quote from yesterday – that she's finding that her dark nights are getting slightly shorter with the passage of time; that’ll do for today. That’ll do...
Written by Randy Newman, Sung by Peter Gabriel, Loved by Me.
Just as I said in yesterday’s post, everyone has terrible times in their lives – especially when they lose someone they love. And, it’s such a hard fact of life that we’ll all lose people we love.
So, what made me feel good today? Well, although it was a day tinged with sadness, lots of things. The one that stands out though was receiving a nice wee message - in return to one I’d sent earlier - from a special pal whose day was probably full of sadness. Knowing that she’d got through the day, that she's OK, that she's with her family, and - thinking back to Jung’s quote from yesterday – that she's finding that her dark nights are getting slightly shorter with the passage of time; that’ll do for today. That’ll do...
Written by Randy Newman, Sung by Peter Gabriel, Loved by Me.
Friday, 6 January 2012
A bit of 2011 reflection
So, did I manage (√) or not (X) to achieve the things I was aiming for in 2011? Let’s see, in no particular order I was aiming to:
1. Get fit again - X
Failed miserably. Will try again this year. Must stop feeling sorry for myself because I had to give up running. It’s been over three years now – come on, get a grip woman! Get on your bike, get your walking shoes on, get in the pool, get off your arse!
2. Start training towards becoming a fully accredited counsellor - √
After years of toying with the idea, finally took the first step on the road to finding out if counselling’s really for me as a profession by starting the COSCA Counselling Certificate course. Module One: completed successfully with Rowan Consultancy at their Dunblane training centre along with a great bunch of fellow students. Made a special friend for life. Module Two: completed successfully at Stevenson College in Edinburgh, but intensely disliked the way the course was run. Got to know a new bunch of students, some of whom went on to become friends. Learned a lot - from the dreadful tutor - about how not to behave as a counsellor. Module Three: completed successfully with Rowan Consultancy at their Perth training centre. Met yet another new bunch of students and learned a lot - from the excellent tutor - about how to behave as a counsellor. I’m looking forward to starting Module Four next week and hope to be finished by mid-February and be awarded the full Certificate. That’ll be the first step towards accreditation in the bag. Next step – possibly the Postgraduate Diploma at Strathclyde Uni, if I’m successful in my application to the full-time course.
3. Complete some more Open University modules - √
Did lots of mumping and moaning when it came to assignment time, but I miss the essay-writing now that the modules are finished! If I don’t get on to the Postgrad Diploma course, OU here I come again!
4. Keep on top of work work - X and √
Failed miserably at keeping the office tidy; sometimes I was on top of work work, sometimes I was way behind. But, everything that needed to be done got done. That’s an overall tick in my book! Aiming to gut the office this year, keep it tidy and always be on top of work work...
5. Qualify as a Samaritans volunteer - √
Every moment of the long training program was worth it to end up in the privileged position of being trusted by callers - who are often deeply distressed - as they share their deepest fears and feelings. Along with every other SAM, this year I’m again aiming to play a part in reducing the number of deaths by suicide and, in turn, reduce the number of families who are deeply affected by the aftermath of a suicide.
6. Do more at the Hospice - X
Kept up my voluntary reception duties at Strathcarron, but never did manage to fit in the Bereavement Counselling training. I’m still waiting to hear if I’ve been successful in my application for a part-time placement at the Hospice through Vodaphone’s World of Difference scheme. Will hopefully know one-way-or-the-other by mid-January. Expect a very grumpy post if I get knocked back!
7. Stop listening when folk tell you you can’t do things - √√
Managed more than ever before not to let any porcupines spoil my party. I’m definitely getting better at following the ethos that I’ve brought my kids up with. It goes something like: “If someone laughs at you, or mocks you, or tells you you’re not capable of doing something, do it anyway. You’ll gain something just by giving it a go. Go looking for the things that you think’ll make you happy, don’t sit still and wait for them to find you. Your life will be so much better for doing that.”
8. Find a singing group in Stirling - √√√
After years of looking, found THE singing group in Stirling! This time last year I’d never even heard of The Heart of Scotland Choir. Now, it’s a big, big part of my life. I love it. I love the people that make up the whole choir family, I love Monday night rehearsals, I love the gigs and I simply love that something I love to do but have really only been doing in the shower or at parties for the past thirty years has become something I now do regularly here, there and everywhere! I’m so looking forward to more of the same this year!
9. Write more often - √
Even managed to get a little article published in the Samaritans News! Not quite Pulitzer Prize material, but we all have to start somewhere....! This year, yet again, I’m aiming for a proper published article. This is a good example of “it may never happen, but it’s all good as I’m doing something I love to do in the ‘trying’ process!”
10. Get thin again – X
Failed miserably. Must try harder! Have started the year off, a bit hypocritically, by starting on one of these ‘cut out the carbs’ diets. I’ve always been really critical of any method for losing weight that doesn’t just involve eating less and doing more. Sod it. I’m desperate!
11. Be happy - √ and X
It’s not possible to always be happy; let’s face it, life can be really shit sometimes. This year there’ve been times I’ve been worried, angry, stressed or sad. In the words of that famous old geezer Carl Jung, “There are as many nights as days, and the one is just as long as the other in the year's course. Even a happy life cannot be without a measure of darkness, and the word 'happy' would lose its meaning if it were not balanced by sadness.” Still, that doesn’t mean we can’t aim to be happy. So, I’m looking forward to another year of looking for the things that I think'll make me feel happy.
Definitely more ticks than crosses - that'll do for me. Right 2012, let's see what you've got to offer......
1. Get fit again - X
Failed miserably. Will try again this year. Must stop feeling sorry for myself because I had to give up running. It’s been over three years now – come on, get a grip woman! Get on your bike, get your walking shoes on, get in the pool, get off your arse!
2. Start training towards becoming a fully accredited counsellor - √
After years of toying with the idea, finally took the first step on the road to finding out if counselling’s really for me as a profession by starting the COSCA Counselling Certificate course. Module One: completed successfully with Rowan Consultancy at their Dunblane training centre along with a great bunch of fellow students. Made a special friend for life. Module Two: completed successfully at Stevenson College in Edinburgh, but intensely disliked the way the course was run. Got to know a new bunch of students, some of whom went on to become friends. Learned a lot - from the dreadful tutor - about how not to behave as a counsellor. Module Three: completed successfully with Rowan Consultancy at their Perth training centre. Met yet another new bunch of students and learned a lot - from the excellent tutor - about how to behave as a counsellor. I’m looking forward to starting Module Four next week and hope to be finished by mid-February and be awarded the full Certificate. That’ll be the first step towards accreditation in the bag. Next step – possibly the Postgraduate Diploma at Strathclyde Uni, if I’m successful in my application to the full-time course.
3. Complete some more Open University modules - √
Did lots of mumping and moaning when it came to assignment time, but I miss the essay-writing now that the modules are finished! If I don’t get on to the Postgrad Diploma course, OU here I come again!
4. Keep on top of work work - X and √
Failed miserably at keeping the office tidy; sometimes I was on top of work work, sometimes I was way behind. But, everything that needed to be done got done. That’s an overall tick in my book! Aiming to gut the office this year, keep it tidy and always be on top of work work...
5. Qualify as a Samaritans volunteer - √
Every moment of the long training program was worth it to end up in the privileged position of being trusted by callers - who are often deeply distressed - as they share their deepest fears and feelings. Along with every other SAM, this year I’m again aiming to play a part in reducing the number of deaths by suicide and, in turn, reduce the number of families who are deeply affected by the aftermath of a suicide.
6. Do more at the Hospice - X
Kept up my voluntary reception duties at Strathcarron, but never did manage to fit in the Bereavement Counselling training. I’m still waiting to hear if I’ve been successful in my application for a part-time placement at the Hospice through Vodaphone’s World of Difference scheme. Will hopefully know one-way-or-the-other by mid-January. Expect a very grumpy post if I get knocked back!
7. Stop listening when folk tell you you can’t do things - √√
Managed more than ever before not to let any porcupines spoil my party. I’m definitely getting better at following the ethos that I’ve brought my kids up with. It goes something like: “If someone laughs at you, or mocks you, or tells you you’re not capable of doing something, do it anyway. You’ll gain something just by giving it a go. Go looking for the things that you think’ll make you happy, don’t sit still and wait for them to find you. Your life will be so much better for doing that.”
8. Find a singing group in Stirling - √√√
After years of looking, found THE singing group in Stirling! This time last year I’d never even heard of The Heart of Scotland Choir. Now, it’s a big, big part of my life. I love it. I love the people that make up the whole choir family, I love Monday night rehearsals, I love the gigs and I simply love that something I love to do but have really only been doing in the shower or at parties for the past thirty years has become something I now do regularly here, there and everywhere! I’m so looking forward to more of the same this year!
9. Write more often - √
Even managed to get a little article published in the Samaritans News! Not quite Pulitzer Prize material, but we all have to start somewhere....! This year, yet again, I’m aiming for a proper published article. This is a good example of “it may never happen, but it’s all good as I’m doing something I love to do in the ‘trying’ process!”
10. Get thin again – X
Failed miserably. Must try harder! Have started the year off, a bit hypocritically, by starting on one of these ‘cut out the carbs’ diets. I’ve always been really critical of any method for losing weight that doesn’t just involve eating less and doing more. Sod it. I’m desperate!
11. Be happy - √ and X
It’s not possible to always be happy; let’s face it, life can be really shit sometimes. This year there’ve been times I’ve been worried, angry, stressed or sad. In the words of that famous old geezer Carl Jung, “There are as many nights as days, and the one is just as long as the other in the year's course. Even a happy life cannot be without a measure of darkness, and the word 'happy' would lose its meaning if it were not balanced by sadness.” Still, that doesn’t mean we can’t aim to be happy. So, I’m looking forward to another year of looking for the things that I think'll make me feel happy.
Definitely more ticks than crosses - that'll do for me. Right 2012, let's see what you've got to offer......
Sunday, 1 January 2012
Having a happy Hogmanay
I didn’t want the first day of the New Year to pass without writing something, so this is going to be a hastily written wee post; we’re just back from the traditional family get-together - and delicious steak pie - at Mum’s and I’ll be heading back out shortly with my ‘Mum’s Taxi’ hat on to collect Gordon from a ceilidh.
I don’t think I could’ve asked for a more enjoyable way to end one year and welcome in the next. The choir had been asked to open proceedings for the Hogmanay celebrations on the esplanade of Stirling Castle. Aw man, I loved every minute of it! The choir were first on – at 9pm - so I wasn’t expecting much of a crowd; how wrong was I?! It was mobbed! The view from the stage was just brilliant. Well, it was brilliant for me, maybe not so much for my choir pals that were standing behind me! Sorry I’m so tall girls! (I should explain that the ‘low harmony’ and ‘the men’ are the two smallest groups in the choir, so Annie places those two groups in the front so that the microphones can pick up our voices over the much bigger melody and mid-harmony groups. So, for my friends that keep ribbing me about it; I don’t push my way to the front – honest!) Annie, yet again, did us all proud and - after a very short sound-check, having to work with a water-logged piano (the rain thankfully went off by the time the show started), having to play a piano which one of the 'technical' guys had put on to the setting labelled 'weird' for our first song, having to rely on the 'technical' folk to sort out a few other wee sound issues during the set, and having to deal with all the other things that she has to think about when taking a big group of folk onto a stage to sing - she guided us through a great set that the crowd clearly loved. It was yet another choir experience I’ll never forget; from the moment we walked out, soaked up the view of all those people standing under our beautiful castle, took our places and sang our songs, till the moment we walked off the stage – I loved every second of it.
Gordon was up on the stage with me while Alex, Gemma and Ross were standing near the front of the crowd - watching and singing along with us. I’m writing this in a hurry and don’t have time to think of the collection of words that could properly express how happy I felt for that twenty minutes or so.
After sharing some very special hugs with some of my choir family, I went off to join my own wee family (minus Gordon, who’d headed off to join his pals) in the crowd. It’s a few years since we’ve all been together for the bells at Hogmanay. Ever since they’ve been old enough to go off and do their own thing, we’ve made it really clear to the kids that they’ve never to feel that we expect them to stay with us for occasions such as this. We’d much rather they were doing what they wanted to do, rather than what they felt obliged to do. So, it was lovely that Gemma and Ross chose to bring in 2012 on the Castle esplanade with their auld maw and paw and we had such a rare time! My home town did itself proud with a line-up of 100% Scottish acts; our choir, an up-and-coming band called The Three Blind Wolves, Eddi Reader and The Red Hot Chilli Pipers. We loved them all and were thoroughly entertained. Alex had made up a wee drink in one of these ‘camel’ things (basically a wee pouch you put on your back with a long tube for sooking from. It’s meant for water top-ups when he’s out running, but was just perfect for our wee New Year dram or six...) so we sang, danced and were very merry by the time the countdown to the bells started! We cooried up, counted down with the crowds, wished each other and everyone around us a Happy New Year then cooried up again for a pretty spectacular firework display. Big well done Stirling council! You’ve redeemed yourself from the mistake of having Wagner play the Castle last year!
Right after the bells, I’d managed to get through to Gordon and Mum on my mobile to wish them a Happy New Year. And I’d held my hands on my heart and whispered, as I’ve done every New Year since 1993, “Wish you were here. Promise I’ll do my best to do you proud again this year. Love you so much Dad.”
After a brilliant finishing set from the Chilli Pipers, we headed off for home; very wet and very bedraggled (the heavens opened just after midnight!), but very happy!
I’ve just received a text calling for Mum’s Taxi, so I’ll finish quickly by wishing you all the very best you could hope for in 2012. I'll leave you with this little snapshot showing just how much I enjoyed my last few minutes of 2011. I'm the mad wifey that's jumping around and 'wooing' about 20 seconds into the video.....
I don’t think I could’ve asked for a more enjoyable way to end one year and welcome in the next. The choir had been asked to open proceedings for the Hogmanay celebrations on the esplanade of Stirling Castle. Aw man, I loved every minute of it! The choir were first on – at 9pm - so I wasn’t expecting much of a crowd; how wrong was I?! It was mobbed! The view from the stage was just brilliant. Well, it was brilliant for me, maybe not so much for my choir pals that were standing behind me! Sorry I’m so tall girls! (I should explain that the ‘low harmony’ and ‘the men’ are the two smallest groups in the choir, so Annie places those two groups in the front so that the microphones can pick up our voices over the much bigger melody and mid-harmony groups. So, for my friends that keep ribbing me about it; I don’t push my way to the front – honest!) Annie, yet again, did us all proud and - after a very short sound-check, having to work with a water-logged piano (the rain thankfully went off by the time the show started), having to play a piano which one of the 'technical' guys had put on to the setting labelled 'weird' for our first song, having to rely on the 'technical' folk to sort out a few other wee sound issues during the set, and having to deal with all the other things that she has to think about when taking a big group of folk onto a stage to sing - she guided us through a great set that the crowd clearly loved. It was yet another choir experience I’ll never forget; from the moment we walked out, soaked up the view of all those people standing under our beautiful castle, took our places and sang our songs, till the moment we walked off the stage – I loved every second of it.
Gordon was up on the stage with me while Alex, Gemma and Ross were standing near the front of the crowd - watching and singing along with us. I’m writing this in a hurry and don’t have time to think of the collection of words that could properly express how happy I felt for that twenty minutes or so.
After sharing some very special hugs with some of my choir family, I went off to join my own wee family (minus Gordon, who’d headed off to join his pals) in the crowd. It’s a few years since we’ve all been together for the bells at Hogmanay. Ever since they’ve been old enough to go off and do their own thing, we’ve made it really clear to the kids that they’ve never to feel that we expect them to stay with us for occasions such as this. We’d much rather they were doing what they wanted to do, rather than what they felt obliged to do. So, it was lovely that Gemma and Ross chose to bring in 2012 on the Castle esplanade with their auld maw and paw and we had such a rare time! My home town did itself proud with a line-up of 100% Scottish acts; our choir, an up-and-coming band called The Three Blind Wolves, Eddi Reader and The Red Hot Chilli Pipers. We loved them all and were thoroughly entertained. Alex had made up a wee drink in one of these ‘camel’ things (basically a wee pouch you put on your back with a long tube for sooking from. It’s meant for water top-ups when he’s out running, but was just perfect for our wee New Year dram or six...) so we sang, danced and were very merry by the time the countdown to the bells started! We cooried up, counted down with the crowds, wished each other and everyone around us a Happy New Year then cooried up again for a pretty spectacular firework display. Big well done Stirling council! You’ve redeemed yourself from the mistake of having Wagner play the Castle last year!
Right after the bells, I’d managed to get through to Gordon and Mum on my mobile to wish them a Happy New Year. And I’d held my hands on my heart and whispered, as I’ve done every New Year since 1993, “Wish you were here. Promise I’ll do my best to do you proud again this year. Love you so much Dad.”
After a brilliant finishing set from the Chilli Pipers, we headed off for home; very wet and very bedraggled (the heavens opened just after midnight!), but very happy!
I’ve just received a text calling for Mum’s Taxi, so I’ll finish quickly by wishing you all the very best you could hope for in 2012. I'll leave you with this little snapshot showing just how much I enjoyed my last few minutes of 2011. I'm the mad wifey that's jumping around and 'wooing' about 20 seconds into the video.....
Saturday, 31 December 2011
The end of my first year of blogging
Aw well, that’s my first year of blogging nearly over. I had no idea what to expect from this when I wrote my first wee post on New Year’s Day 2011. The blog was meant to be a tool to encourage me to write more often - without getting too hung up on the technicalities - and also help me to focus on finding good things in my day, even when the day didn’t seem like a good day. I wasn’t sure if anyone, beside my family, would read any of the posts. I tried to convince myself that it didn’t matter if no one read my blog, or if folk read it once then never came back for any more. I don’t think I was very successful in that. I’m not as hung up on the statistics now. I went through a wee phase of worrying far too much about the number of followers, or the number of views, or the number of comments – and I thank each and every one of my wee band of ‘official’ followers for taking the time to help me get that number up at a time when I thought nobody was really reading the blog. (Especially you Dianne!) I felt, at that time, that there was no point in continuing with the blog if no one was getting anything from it, other than me. I don’t feel like that now, but I do sincerely appreciate every single time someone tells me that they’ve either enjoyed, been touched by, laughed at, didn’t like or could relate to something I’ve written. Every single one of those wee bits of feedback make the blog worth continuing with, for another wee while at least.
From my anon pal (the friend who knows me better than any other!), to all my other great pals, to my blogging friends that I’ll probably never meet in person, to my new buddies through choir, courses and voluntary work – thank you all for making this blog happen.
Most importantly, thank you to my wee family. I love you all and I so appreciate you letting me blether away here about all (OK, not quite all....) the stuff we get up to in our wee lives.
I hope you all have a happy and healthy new year – and I hope you’ll be able to find at least one little good thing in most of your days.......
From my anon pal (the friend who knows me better than any other!), to all my other great pals, to my blogging friends that I’ll probably never meet in person, to my new buddies through choir, courses and voluntary work – thank you all for making this blog happen.
Most importantly, thank you to my wee family. I love you all and I so appreciate you letting me blether away here about all (OK, not quite all....) the stuff we get up to in our wee lives.
I hope you all have a happy and healthy new year – and I hope you’ll be able to find at least one little good thing in most of your days.......
Wednesday, 28 December 2011
Mulling over my festive highlights
I usually enjoy Christmas, and luckily this year’s been one of the usual. There’ve only been a few years that I’ve not really enjoyed Christmas; the year my Dad died; the year I had a bad dose of gastric flu; the year one of our main contractors went bust and we were struggling to keep our heads above water...anyway, this year I’ve had a great Christmas and I’m trying to decide what to note down as the highlight.
Hmm. Let’s think.
It could’ve been Christmas Eve. A meal out then the movies with Alex, my mum and the kids. I love that we all still enjoy doing that together. I also loved the banter afterwards as we argued about whether we should open our presents at midnight or in the morning. I was doing an early morning SAMS shift and wouldn’t be home till the back of nine on Christmas morning. Alex and the boys were going off for their traditional run up Dumyat (a local hill) with other members of our athletics club at ten thirty – would that hour and a half window be enough time for us all to open all of our pressies?! It’d already been decided that we were doing the round-robin-one-pressie-at-a-time thing, so with six of us taking shots each, present opening was going to take a while! Come midnight, we still hadn’t come to a decision but, fortunately, it was kind of taken out of our hands; after hugging and wishing each other a Merry Christmas, Alex left us to sort it out while he went to the loo (or so we thought...) A few moments later, me, my mum and my three over-sixteen-year-old kids had our conversation interrupted by the sound of a bell ringing and a loud “Ho Ho Ho!” coming from the hall. In a cloud of snow (the wee round paper bits that collect in the base of a paper-punch) in burst Santa (Alex in full Santa gear) himself! “Merry Christmas!”, Santa shouted, quickly followed by, “Shit! I forgot my beard!”.
Off he ran, as quickly as he’d appeared, leaving behind a lot of laughter. Take two was more successful, when Santa re-appeared wearing his big white beard. Once he’d adjusted his tummy stuffing, he proceeded to hand us all wee presents from his big sack. So, at midnight, we opened our Santa presents – the rest could wait till morning! I’ve come to the conclusion that as our kids get older, Alex definitely gets younger – at heart anyway! (Though, you’re never too old for Santa....)
What else has been a highlight? Hmm. Let’s think.
It could’ve been speaking on the radio on Christmas morning! When I got in to the car to drive home after my Samaritans shift, I switched on the radio and Des Clarke (the Capital Radio Breakfast Show DJ) was saying, “I’d like to hear from everyone that’s been out, or is still out, working this Christmas morning. The text number is...”. I don’t think I’ve ever contacted a radio station before in my whole life, but I thought it would be a good wee mention for the SAMS, so I quickly sent off a text just saying that I was on my way home after a SAMS duty and would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas. The drive home takes around twenty five minutes, so I listened intently to Des’s chat – hoping for that wee mention - and singing along to the songs in between. By the time I was turning into the village, I’d given up hope of hearing the SAMS mentioned. To be honest, I was a bit miffed as Des had given a mention to some bloke working for a charity looking after stray dogs. Now, I’ve got absolutely nothing against stray dogs but I was like, ‘Come On Des! Surely if you can say hello to the guy at the stray dogs shelter you can say hello to the wifey at Samaritans?!’. Next thing, my phone rang. I just assumed it was someone phoning from home to see when I was coming so that the pressie opening could commence. “Helloooo! I’m nearly home! Two minutes and I’ll be there”, I shouted. (Am I the only person that shouts at the hands-free thingy in their cars?!) “Oh, Hi Jane. Merry Christmas! This is James from Capital Radio. Would you be willing to go live on air and have a word with Des...?” Next thing I knew, less than a minute later, I was pulling in to my driveway and Des was on the line saying we were about to go live. Now, here was a golden opportunity to raise SAMS awareness and chat about all the folk that struggle at this time of year. But, the adrenalin took over, I got all over-excited and spent the whole two minutes that I was on wishing everyone and their granny a ‘Merry Christmas’ and plugging every Heart of Scotland choir gig that came in to my mind!! It’s the second time that I’ve spoken to Des Clarke (I wrote about the first time on a previous post), and both times I’ve been just a tad over-the-top! I’m hoping that some day I’ll get the opportunity to show him that I’m actually quite normal really! So, yup, that was good fun and – even though it was a bit of a missed opportunity to raise SAMS awareness, it let me give a bit of a plug to something else that’s very close to my heart – and was definitely one of my highlights over Christmas.
But that wasn’t the only highlight on Christmas Day. Let’s think, what else?
Opening our pressies; waving the boys off – clad in Santa hats and carrying mulled wine and mince pies in rucksacks – as they left for their run up Dumyat; making a start on the Christmas dinner preparations with my mum and Gemma while the boys were away – it all made me feel toasty inside. Gemma made a rare job of spreading the butter under the turkey’s skin (a job that gives me the heeby-jeeby’s) and mum made a rare job of making the lunch time soup. But we all contributed equally to the plentiful blethering! Yup, that was definitely a highlight of the day.
There were definitely some others though.
I’d taken an executive decision that we all had to choose an ‘activity’ or ‘something’ we could all join in with on Christmas Day. I’d said it could be absolutely anything, as long as all six of us could do it together. I’d said that we weren’t allowed to tell each other what we’d chosen to do until Christmas Day, and I’d said that nobody was allowed to complain about anybody else’s choice. I’m Mum, I make the rules.
My mum had taken the word ‘activity’ a bit too literally, so after our soup we all found ourselves in the lounge, lined up in front of the telly, doing Mum’s Weight Watcher’s exercise DVD! It’s safe to say we laughed more than we exercised and all had a whole lot of fun. I stood at the back and soaked in the sight of my seventy five year old mum leading me, Alex (dressed as Santa again with the red trousers replaced by his running shorts) and the kids in a routine of side-bends and stretches! So, a high benchmark was set by Gran; the rest of us would have a hard job matching her chosen activity in the 'good fun' stakes!
Next, it was Gordon’s turn. He’d decided that we were to sit round the kitchen table and play a card game of Monopoly. I didn’t know you could get Monopoly as a card game, but it didn’t make much of a difference; I was just as rubbish at the card game as I am at the board game! It wasn’t long before I was completely bankrupt and Alex had cleaned us all out to win the game. More importantly, we got through the whole game without anyone falling out, without anyone being accused of cheating and without anyone complaining that it wasn’t fair. Probably a first in the history of Milne family games, so it was another hit in the Christmas Day activity stakes!
We had a wee break so that Gordon could play with his new toy for a while (Gordon got an iphone from Santa. He’d no idea he was getting one and it’d been brilliant to see his reaction after opening several boxes within boxes. Ocht, you’re never too old for boxes within boxes...) and I could do a bit more dinner prep! Then it was my turn to tell everyone what my chosen ‘thing’ was. Anyone who reads this blog regularly could probably have predicted my choice, so the rest of my family weren’t at all surprised when I told them we were all going to have a sing-song together. Now, that’s not all that unusual in our house, but I’d decided we weren’t just going to sing, we were going to sing in harmony! So, I took Alex to one corner to teach him the low harmony part, Gordon took his Gran and his big brother off to another corner to learn the melody and Gemma took herself off to another room to learn the middle harmony part; twenty minutes later we all got together (picture the Partridge Family except much cooler and without the big white teeth and perfect timing...) and sang the Milne version of one of my favourite choir songs. Aw, I know sounds a bit naff, but I just loved it – and my wee family did Annie’s arrangement proud!
As if that wasn’t enough excitement for one Christmas Day, we still had our dinner to get through. It was definitely a case of “it’s not what’s on the table, but who’s sitting around it that matters!” All the fun and frivolity throughout the day meant that the turkey was a little bit overdone, the spuds were a wee bit soggy and the gravy was a big bit lumpy! But the wine was just right and - on top of the little aperitifs we’d been supping earlier (t’was thirsty work doing all those activities..) – it ensured that the volume of the chit-chat and laughter rose steadily as the meal progressed! Even though the food wasn’t up to my usual standards, Christmas dinner was one of the highlights of the day.
Now, there was a time that the Master of the Milne house’s Man Drawer would’ve contained every type of battery imaginable. Alas, that was when the kids were little and had all sorts of toys that required all sorts of batteries. Just for a laugh, Ross had bought a kiddie’s game that required 2 ‘C’ batteries – none of which were to be had in any of our drawers. So, Ross’s choice of ‘thing to do’ (‘Elefun’, which involves trying to catch, in little nets, little paper butterflies that shoot out of a long, blue elephant’s trunk that’s attached to a motorised fan disguised as a toy elephant) had to be abandoned. Alex did have a go at trying to set up a sort of Heath Robinson contraption with one of our electric fans, but it failed miserably. The whole palaver was so entertaining and watching Alex and Ross trying to get this wee kiddies game to work was priceless. Nope, you’re definitely never too old for kiddies games at Christmas...
By the time we moved on to Alex’s choice of ‘something to do’ it was fairly late in the evening and the wine and other festive spirits had been flowing for quite a long time. Alex doesn't like the board game 'Cranium', but the rest of us do. So, none of us were too surprised when he announced that that was his choice. If you’re familiar with the game, you’ll know it helps to have a bit of artistic talent. It involves making wee plasticine models, drawing doodles, doing charades, solving anagrams - it's like a load of different games rolled in to one. So, as the least artistic members of the family, Ross and I were delighted to come up trumps as the winners. It was just as well that the game ended when it did as some of the plasticine models were becoming just a wee bit inappropriate...! Laughing at Gordon trying to keep his cool while his sozzled Dad tried to act, make models, draw and spell; and at Gemma being the most patient I’ve ever seen her as she made sure that her Gran didn’t feel too inadequate with her acting, model-making, drawing and spelling, and sharing lots of laughs with my team-mate as we romped home to victory - all contributed to making it such a great highlight of my day.
Gemma’s game was put onto the back boiler as we’d kind of forgotten that there’s a limited number of hours in a day. Even Christmas Day. So, knowing Gemma, we can look forward to some sort of imaginative and challenging activity in the Milne household in the not-too-distant future!
It dawned on me, as we all stumbled off to bed, that the telly hadn’t been on all day (except for Gran's exercise DVD!). I liked that. As I settled down for the night, I had a bit of a fuzzy head and a bit of an aching tummy; I’m not sure if it stemmed from the not-quite-up-to-scratch dinner or the non-stop laughing. Either way, it didn’t stop me going out like a light with a smile on my face and quietly thanking my lucky stars for my wee family. I love them all very much and they’d all contributed to a Christmas full of far too many highlights to mention!
I woke up the next morning hoping that another batch of festive highlights would ensue when more of my family, along with Alex’s family and our oldest friends came later for our traditional Boxing Day gathering. I wasn’t to be disappointed! Now, let’s think, what was the highlight of Boxing Day?
Hm, on second thoughts, that’s maybe best left for some other time....!
Hmm. Let’s think.
It could’ve been Christmas Eve. A meal out then the movies with Alex, my mum and the kids. I love that we all still enjoy doing that together. I also loved the banter afterwards as we argued about whether we should open our presents at midnight or in the morning. I was doing an early morning SAMS shift and wouldn’t be home till the back of nine on Christmas morning. Alex and the boys were going off for their traditional run up Dumyat (a local hill) with other members of our athletics club at ten thirty – would that hour and a half window be enough time for us all to open all of our pressies?! It’d already been decided that we were doing the round-robin-one-pressie-at-a-time thing, so with six of us taking shots each, present opening was going to take a while! Come midnight, we still hadn’t come to a decision but, fortunately, it was kind of taken out of our hands; after hugging and wishing each other a Merry Christmas, Alex left us to sort it out while he went to the loo (or so we thought...) A few moments later, me, my mum and my three over-sixteen-year-old kids had our conversation interrupted by the sound of a bell ringing and a loud “Ho Ho Ho!” coming from the hall. In a cloud of snow (the wee round paper bits that collect in the base of a paper-punch) in burst Santa (Alex in full Santa gear) himself! “Merry Christmas!”, Santa shouted, quickly followed by, “Shit! I forgot my beard!”.
Off he ran, as quickly as he’d appeared, leaving behind a lot of laughter. Take two was more successful, when Santa re-appeared wearing his big white beard. Once he’d adjusted his tummy stuffing, he proceeded to hand us all wee presents from his big sack. So, at midnight, we opened our Santa presents – the rest could wait till morning! I’ve come to the conclusion that as our kids get older, Alex definitely gets younger – at heart anyway! (Though, you’re never too old for Santa....)
What else has been a highlight? Hmm. Let’s think.
It could’ve been speaking on the radio on Christmas morning! When I got in to the car to drive home after my Samaritans shift, I switched on the radio and Des Clarke (the Capital Radio Breakfast Show DJ) was saying, “I’d like to hear from everyone that’s been out, or is still out, working this Christmas morning. The text number is...”. I don’t think I’ve ever contacted a radio station before in my whole life, but I thought it would be a good wee mention for the SAMS, so I quickly sent off a text just saying that I was on my way home after a SAMS duty and would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas. The drive home takes around twenty five minutes, so I listened intently to Des’s chat – hoping for that wee mention - and singing along to the songs in between. By the time I was turning into the village, I’d given up hope of hearing the SAMS mentioned. To be honest, I was a bit miffed as Des had given a mention to some bloke working for a charity looking after stray dogs. Now, I’ve got absolutely nothing against stray dogs but I was like, ‘Come On Des! Surely if you can say hello to the guy at the stray dogs shelter you can say hello to the wifey at Samaritans?!’. Next thing, my phone rang. I just assumed it was someone phoning from home to see when I was coming so that the pressie opening could commence. “Helloooo! I’m nearly home! Two minutes and I’ll be there”, I shouted. (Am I the only person that shouts at the hands-free thingy in their cars?!) “Oh, Hi Jane. Merry Christmas! This is James from Capital Radio. Would you be willing to go live on air and have a word with Des...?” Next thing I knew, less than a minute later, I was pulling in to my driveway and Des was on the line saying we were about to go live. Now, here was a golden opportunity to raise SAMS awareness and chat about all the folk that struggle at this time of year. But, the adrenalin took over, I got all over-excited and spent the whole two minutes that I was on wishing everyone and their granny a ‘Merry Christmas’ and plugging every Heart of Scotland choir gig that came in to my mind!! It’s the second time that I’ve spoken to Des Clarke (I wrote about the first time on a previous post), and both times I’ve been just a tad over-the-top! I’m hoping that some day I’ll get the opportunity to show him that I’m actually quite normal really! So, yup, that was good fun and – even though it was a bit of a missed opportunity to raise SAMS awareness, it let me give a bit of a plug to something else that’s very close to my heart – and was definitely one of my highlights over Christmas.
But that wasn’t the only highlight on Christmas Day. Let’s think, what else?
Opening our pressies; waving the boys off – clad in Santa hats and carrying mulled wine and mince pies in rucksacks – as they left for their run up Dumyat; making a start on the Christmas dinner preparations with my mum and Gemma while the boys were away – it all made me feel toasty inside. Gemma made a rare job of spreading the butter under the turkey’s skin (a job that gives me the heeby-jeeby’s) and mum made a rare job of making the lunch time soup. But we all contributed equally to the plentiful blethering! Yup, that was definitely a highlight of the day.
There were definitely some others though.
I’d taken an executive decision that we all had to choose an ‘activity’ or ‘something’ we could all join in with on Christmas Day. I’d said it could be absolutely anything, as long as all six of us could do it together. I’d said that we weren’t allowed to tell each other what we’d chosen to do until Christmas Day, and I’d said that nobody was allowed to complain about anybody else’s choice. I’m Mum, I make the rules.
My mum had taken the word ‘activity’ a bit too literally, so after our soup we all found ourselves in the lounge, lined up in front of the telly, doing Mum’s Weight Watcher’s exercise DVD! It’s safe to say we laughed more than we exercised and all had a whole lot of fun. I stood at the back and soaked in the sight of my seventy five year old mum leading me, Alex (dressed as Santa again with the red trousers replaced by his running shorts) and the kids in a routine of side-bends and stretches! So, a high benchmark was set by Gran; the rest of us would have a hard job matching her chosen activity in the 'good fun' stakes!Next, it was Gordon’s turn. He’d decided that we were to sit round the kitchen table and play a card game of Monopoly. I didn’t know you could get Monopoly as a card game, but it didn’t make much of a difference; I was just as rubbish at the card game as I am at the board game! It wasn’t long before I was completely bankrupt and Alex had cleaned us all out to win the game. More importantly, we got through the whole game without anyone falling out, without anyone being accused of cheating and without anyone complaining that it wasn’t fair. Probably a first in the history of Milne family games, so it was another hit in the Christmas Day activity stakes!
We had a wee break so that Gordon could play with his new toy for a while (Gordon got an iphone from Santa. He’d no idea he was getting one and it’d been brilliant to see his reaction after opening several boxes within boxes. Ocht, you’re never too old for boxes within boxes...) and I could do a bit more dinner prep! Then it was my turn to tell everyone what my chosen ‘thing’ was. Anyone who reads this blog regularly could probably have predicted my choice, so the rest of my family weren’t at all surprised when I told them we were all going to have a sing-song together. Now, that’s not all that unusual in our house, but I’d decided we weren’t just going to sing, we were going to sing in harmony! So, I took Alex to one corner to teach him the low harmony part, Gordon took his Gran and his big brother off to another corner to learn the melody and Gemma took herself off to another room to learn the middle harmony part; twenty minutes later we all got together (picture the Partridge Family except much cooler and without the big white teeth and perfect timing...) and sang the Milne version of one of my favourite choir songs. Aw, I know sounds a bit naff, but I just loved it – and my wee family did Annie’s arrangement proud!
As if that wasn’t enough excitement for one Christmas Day, we still had our dinner to get through. It was definitely a case of “it’s not what’s on the table, but who’s sitting around it that matters!” All the fun and frivolity throughout the day meant that the turkey was a little bit overdone, the spuds were a wee bit soggy and the gravy was a big bit lumpy! But the wine was just right and - on top of the little aperitifs we’d been supping earlier (t’was thirsty work doing all those activities..) – it ensured that the volume of the chit-chat and laughter rose steadily as the meal progressed! Even though the food wasn’t up to my usual standards, Christmas dinner was one of the highlights of the day.Now, there was a time that the Master of the Milne house’s Man Drawer would’ve contained every type of battery imaginable. Alas, that was when the kids were little and had all sorts of toys that required all sorts of batteries. Just for a laugh, Ross had bought a kiddie’s game that required 2 ‘C’ batteries – none of which were to be had in any of our drawers. So, Ross’s choice of ‘thing to do’ (‘Elefun’, which involves trying to catch, in little nets, little paper butterflies that shoot out of a long, blue elephant’s trunk that’s attached to a motorised fan disguised as a toy elephant) had to be abandoned. Alex did have a go at trying to set up a sort of Heath Robinson contraption with one of our electric fans, but it failed miserably. The whole palaver was so entertaining and watching Alex and Ross trying to get this wee kiddies game to work was priceless. Nope, you’re definitely never too old for kiddies games at Christmas...
By the time we moved on to Alex’s choice of ‘something to do’ it was fairly late in the evening and the wine and other festive spirits had been flowing for quite a long time. Alex doesn't like the board game 'Cranium', but the rest of us do. So, none of us were too surprised when he announced that that was his choice. If you’re familiar with the game, you’ll know it helps to have a bit of artistic talent. It involves making wee plasticine models, drawing doodles, doing charades, solving anagrams - it's like a load of different games rolled in to one. So, as the least artistic members of the family, Ross and I were delighted to come up trumps as the winners. It was just as well that the game ended when it did as some of the plasticine models were becoming just a wee bit inappropriate...! Laughing at Gordon trying to keep his cool while his sozzled Dad tried to act, make models, draw and spell; and at Gemma being the most patient I’ve ever seen her as she made sure that her Gran didn’t feel too inadequate with her acting, model-making, drawing and spelling, and sharing lots of laughs with my team-mate as we romped home to victory - all contributed to making it such a great highlight of my day.
Gemma’s game was put onto the back boiler as we’d kind of forgotten that there’s a limited number of hours in a day. Even Christmas Day. So, knowing Gemma, we can look forward to some sort of imaginative and challenging activity in the Milne household in the not-too-distant future!
It dawned on me, as we all stumbled off to bed, that the telly hadn’t been on all day (except for Gran's exercise DVD!). I liked that. As I settled down for the night, I had a bit of a fuzzy head and a bit of an aching tummy; I’m not sure if it stemmed from the not-quite-up-to-scratch dinner or the non-stop laughing. Either way, it didn’t stop me going out like a light with a smile on my face and quietly thanking my lucky stars for my wee family. I love them all very much and they’d all contributed to a Christmas full of far too many highlights to mention!
I woke up the next morning hoping that another batch of festive highlights would ensue when more of my family, along with Alex’s family and our oldest friends came later for our traditional Boxing Day gathering. I wasn’t to be disappointed! Now, let’s think, what was the highlight of Boxing Day?
Hm, on second thoughts, that’s maybe best left for some other time....!
Thursday, 22 December 2011
Everyone being home for Christmas
I’m just about to head off to pick Gemma up from the airport (she’s been away in Tenerife this past week enjoying a holiday that was awarded as one of the bonuses from her summer job) which means that Christmas is about to really start in the Milne household! I’m so looking forward to having all five of us sleeping under the one roof for a wee while and being able to spend some time all together.
I consider myself really lucky that the kids aren’t very far away when they’re at Uni, and we do see quite a bit of them during term time, but the Christmas break will be the longest that the five of us have all been together since September, and that’s really the most important thing about Christmas for me. Annie (our choir leader) summed it up nicely when she commented today on Facebook that “It’s not what’s under the tree that counts, it’s who’s around it!” and I just couldn’t agree more.
None of the rest matters. The rushing around for last minute stocking fillers; the kicking of folk out of the way to grab the last packet of parsnips; the panic that sets in when the presents are laid out on the bed and one pile looks too much higher than the others; the frustration at not being able to make your presents look all designer-wrapped with curly ribbon and matching tags and bows; the receiving of Christmas cards from folk that you’d decided to stop sending to, then guiltily scribbling a card and running along to the post box with it (knowing that they’ll receive it after Christmas Day and it’ll be obvious that you’ve only sent it because you received one from them); the dark hair roots showing because you forgot to time your appointment in line with Christmas; and even the shitty present you’ve bought for your hubby because your imagination badly let you down this year.... None of it really matters!
It’s an added bonus when all of that kind of stuff turns out well, but - as far as I’m concerned - the best Christmas pressie of all is just being able to spend a bit of time with the people who mean most to you; whether that’s just one person or a whole stack of people. It’s such a desperate time for people who, for one reason or another, can’t do that.
So, I’m thanking my lucky stars that I’m going to be spending time over the next couple of weeks with the people who mean most to me. And - even when the squabbles start, the ironing piles up and the dishwasher doesn’t get emptied - I’ll not be taking one moment of it for granted.
Edinburgh Airport here I come!
I consider myself really lucky that the kids aren’t very far away when they’re at Uni, and we do see quite a bit of them during term time, but the Christmas break will be the longest that the five of us have all been together since September, and that’s really the most important thing about Christmas for me. Annie (our choir leader) summed it up nicely when she commented today on Facebook that “It’s not what’s under the tree that counts, it’s who’s around it!” and I just couldn’t agree more.
None of the rest matters. The rushing around for last minute stocking fillers; the kicking of folk out of the way to grab the last packet of parsnips; the panic that sets in when the presents are laid out on the bed and one pile looks too much higher than the others; the frustration at not being able to make your presents look all designer-wrapped with curly ribbon and matching tags and bows; the receiving of Christmas cards from folk that you’d decided to stop sending to, then guiltily scribbling a card and running along to the post box with it (knowing that they’ll receive it after Christmas Day and it’ll be obvious that you’ve only sent it because you received one from them); the dark hair roots showing because you forgot to time your appointment in line with Christmas; and even the shitty present you’ve bought for your hubby because your imagination badly let you down this year.... None of it really matters!
It’s an added bonus when all of that kind of stuff turns out well, but - as far as I’m concerned - the best Christmas pressie of all is just being able to spend a bit of time with the people who mean most to you; whether that’s just one person or a whole stack of people. It’s such a desperate time for people who, for one reason or another, can’t do that.
So, I’m thanking my lucky stars that I’m going to be spending time over the next couple of weeks with the people who mean most to me. And - even when the squabbles start, the ironing piles up and the dishwasher doesn’t get emptied - I’ll not be taking one moment of it for granted.
Edinburgh Airport here I come!
Sunday, 18 December 2011
Accepting a donation
Instead of delivering Christmas cards to friends and neighbours in my wee village, I give a donation to charity. I started doing this in 2004 and was delighted when some of my friends joined in with me; together we raised the grand sum of £80. The following year, I decided to deliver a wee letter to every house in our village (around 350 or so) inviting all the residents to join in. I explained the idea, stated which charity I would be collecting for and promised that, on Christmas Eve, I would make up a ‘Village Christmas Card’ – which was basically a big poster – that would be pinned up on the notice board in our village square. The poster would wish everyone in our village a very merry Christmas from everyone that had donated to my collection. It would detail how much had been raised, and it would list everyone’s name who had handed in a donation. A sort of Communal Christmas Card! Enough people joined in to make it worth continuing with, so I’ve carried on every year since.
In 2005 we raised just over £500, in 2006 we raised just under £900 and every other year we’ve raised over £1000. Back in the beginning, the money was given to our village’s Elderly Welfare Committee but, in most recent years, I’ve passed the donation on to CHAS (the Children’s Hospice Association of Scotland).
This year, I’ve decided to donate the money to a different charity again - The Scottish Cot Death Trust. I’ve recently become familiar with the incredible job this organisation does in supporting bereaved families, raising awareness and funding vital research through my very good friend Linda. Linda’s little boy, Gregor, died when he was just two years old and, although it was later found that Gregor had an overwhelming virus, his death was initially labelled as ‘Unexpected Death in Infancy’. He went off for an afternoon nap after being out to play one Sunday morning, and never woke up. I’m aware of how little financial support the trust receives from the Scottish government (only 3%), with the bulk of its funding coming directly from Joe Public. I’m also aware that only a tiny number of people are employed by this charity (4 full time and one part time) and that they’re based in a little office in Yorkhill Hospital. I’ve also learned that it’s the only charity in the whole of Scotland that’s dedicated to supporting families who’ve been bereaved through the sudden death of their infant by cot death and SUDI; raising funds for research into the causes of cot death and Sudden Unexpected Death in Infancy; raising public awareness of possible preventative measures; and educating the medical profession, police, the Procurator Fiscal’s office and all the other professionals who might be involved in dealing with the sensitive issues that occur following the sudden death of a baby or child.
So, after notifying the village residents that I’m doing the collection again and telling them which charity I’ve chosen this time around, envelopes containing varying amounts of cash or cheques have been tumbling through my letter box during the course of these past few weeks. I always ask folk to include a note of their names, so that they can be listed on the ‘Village Christmas Card’, and I’m always touched by the lovely messages that some of my fellow villagers write on their notes. This year I’ve had things like; “Thanks for doing this again Jane for another worthwhile cause”, “Another worthwhile charity, keep up the good work!”, and “Hope you and your family have a lovely Christmas!”. However, I was a wee bit taken aback – and a little upset – by the note written on the front of one of the envelopes that was delivered the other day. The envelope contained a cheque, made out to the Scottish Cot Death Trust, but on the front of the envelope was written, “I would prefer CHAS or the Hospice as the charity.” Just like that, nothing else.
My initial reaction was to take the cheque back to the person and tell them I’d rather they sent the money to their own chosen charity, than begrudgingly donate to the one I’d chosen. Then, I wondered if I should phone the person and explain that there isn’t a committee that sits in a smoky room spending hours discussing which charity best merits the village’s hard-earned cash and arguing over the best way to organise the collection – that it’s just li’l ol’ me. I contemplated sending him an email, explaining that we’ve raised well over £6000 for CHAS in recent years and that, in my opinion, there isn’t a sliding scale of which worthwhile cause deserves our donation most; that many, many charities do fantastic jobs and that people will always have their favourites often depending on whether or not they, their family or their friends, have benefited from the support given by one particular organisation. I thought about whether I should write a letter to the person, explaining how horrendous it is for families, like Linda’s, who lay their happy - and apparently healthy - little boy or girl down in their cots , kiss their foreheads and leave them to sleep soundly - only to return a short while later and find them dead. I thought about explaining, in a letter, that this scenario is more common than most folk think and that I think that the organisation - which is trying to help the families, authorities and scientists with everything related to sudden infant death - is one that I’m proud to support. I even considered climbing up on my high horse, knocking on this person’s door, and telling them face-to-face that I’ve personally supported CHAS, ‘the hospice’ (by which I think they mean Strathcarron) and various other charities for many years in many different ways. I don’t categorise one as more important than the other, and I have different personal reasons for supporting each of them. I can’t afford to give money to loads of charities, so I try to help in other ways, like handing bags into the British Heart Foundation shop, or volunteering for SAMS and Strathcarron for a few hours a week, or performing in fund-raising concerts for various different organisations or simply by talking and writing about issues to help raise awareness. I also thought about clarifying to this person that I totally respect everyone’s right to choose whether to join in with my wee Christmas card idea or not; some residents choose not to because they still like to hand out their own cards, some don’t want to donate to my chosen charity and some, as a matter of principle, don’t donate to any charities at all. I respect each and every one of those personal choices. What upset me a little bit was the fact that this person had decided to make a donation and have their name included on the ‘Village Christmas Card’ but had done it with a bit of a ‘Humph’ attached. And that’s why, initially, I wanted to tell this person to take their cheque and stick it where the sun no longer shines!
Anyway, after careful consideration, I decided against doing any of the above! I decided that I’d be cutting off my nose to spite my face. And I appreciated the fact that this person had parted with some of their money, whether begrudgingly or not. And I decided that I’d rather see the money being added to the pot, than handed back. And, finally, I decided that it would be far better to keep my thoughts on the matter firmly to myself......well, sort of.......!
In 2005 we raised just over £500, in 2006 we raised just under £900 and every other year we’ve raised over £1000. Back in the beginning, the money was given to our village’s Elderly Welfare Committee but, in most recent years, I’ve passed the donation on to CHAS (the Children’s Hospice Association of Scotland).
 |
| Linda and Gregor |
So, after notifying the village residents that I’m doing the collection again and telling them which charity I’ve chosen this time around, envelopes containing varying amounts of cash or cheques have been tumbling through my letter box during the course of these past few weeks. I always ask folk to include a note of their names, so that they can be listed on the ‘Village Christmas Card’, and I’m always touched by the lovely messages that some of my fellow villagers write on their notes. This year I’ve had things like; “Thanks for doing this again Jane for another worthwhile cause”, “Another worthwhile charity, keep up the good work!”, and “Hope you and your family have a lovely Christmas!”. However, I was a wee bit taken aback – and a little upset – by the note written on the front of one of the envelopes that was delivered the other day. The envelope contained a cheque, made out to the Scottish Cot Death Trust, but on the front of the envelope was written, “I would prefer CHAS or the Hospice as the charity.” Just like that, nothing else.
My initial reaction was to take the cheque back to the person and tell them I’d rather they sent the money to their own chosen charity, than begrudgingly donate to the one I’d chosen. Then, I wondered if I should phone the person and explain that there isn’t a committee that sits in a smoky room spending hours discussing which charity best merits the village’s hard-earned cash and arguing over the best way to organise the collection – that it’s just li’l ol’ me. I contemplated sending him an email, explaining that we’ve raised well over £6000 for CHAS in recent years and that, in my opinion, there isn’t a sliding scale of which worthwhile cause deserves our donation most; that many, many charities do fantastic jobs and that people will always have their favourites often depending on whether or not they, their family or their friends, have benefited from the support given by one particular organisation. I thought about whether I should write a letter to the person, explaining how horrendous it is for families, like Linda’s, who lay their happy - and apparently healthy - little boy or girl down in their cots , kiss their foreheads and leave them to sleep soundly - only to return a short while later and find them dead. I thought about explaining, in a letter, that this scenario is more common than most folk think and that I think that the organisation - which is trying to help the families, authorities and scientists with everything related to sudden infant death - is one that I’m proud to support. I even considered climbing up on my high horse, knocking on this person’s door, and telling them face-to-face that I’ve personally supported CHAS, ‘the hospice’ (by which I think they mean Strathcarron) and various other charities for many years in many different ways. I don’t categorise one as more important than the other, and I have different personal reasons for supporting each of them. I can’t afford to give money to loads of charities, so I try to help in other ways, like handing bags into the British Heart Foundation shop, or volunteering for SAMS and Strathcarron for a few hours a week, or performing in fund-raising concerts for various different organisations or simply by talking and writing about issues to help raise awareness. I also thought about clarifying to this person that I totally respect everyone’s right to choose whether to join in with my wee Christmas card idea or not; some residents choose not to because they still like to hand out their own cards, some don’t want to donate to my chosen charity and some, as a matter of principle, don’t donate to any charities at all. I respect each and every one of those personal choices. What upset me a little bit was the fact that this person had decided to make a donation and have their name included on the ‘Village Christmas Card’ but had done it with a bit of a ‘Humph’ attached. And that’s why, initially, I wanted to tell this person to take their cheque and stick it where the sun no longer shines!
Anyway, after careful consideration, I decided against doing any of the above! I decided that I’d be cutting off my nose to spite my face. And I appreciated the fact that this person had parted with some of their money, whether begrudgingly or not. And I decided that I’d rather see the money being added to the pot, than handed back. And, finally, I decided that it would be far better to keep my thoughts on the matter firmly to myself......well, sort of.......!
Wednesday, 14 December 2011
Writing a wee poem about the Bertie
I think I should apologise to anybody reading this who doesn’t belong to the Heart of Scotland Choir. Yes, I am still harping on about our concert the other night!
I've not been sleeping all that well since Saturday (surely it can’t still be the adrenalin?!) so I spent some time late last night writing one of my wee poems. I’ve found - in the past - that scribbling a poem about an experience can help to unravel my thoughts about it. So, here's my thought-sorting ditty about the Bertie experience! I’ve recorded me reciting it as it doesn’t really make as much sense when you read it without my intonations (which is the same for most of my poems – and that’s why I’ll never win any prizes for poetry!!). However, Youtube's playing silly buggers with me tonight and I can't get the video to upload. So, the written version will have to do for now!
My thoughts on The Bertie Experience
When the choir last performed at the Bertie,
I was sat watching TV,
I’d never heard of Heart of Scotland,
It really meant nothing to me.
But luckily Gordon had gone along
With a crowd of his pals from school,
And when I went to pick him up
He was like, “Aw Mum, that was SO cool!”
So when we got home we looked on the web
And checked out the songs on Youtube,
I was like, “Wow, they’re awesome!
I didn’t expect them to be THAT good!"
Now, fast forward to nine months later
(As the whole story would take me an age)
To the choir’s next Bertie performance,
And there we were – up on the stage!
We first sang 'I’m So Excited'
As an opener, the perfect song
As all of our friends and our families
Could clap, cheer and sing along.
'I wish' I could bottle that feeling,
- So high you could 'Rule the World' -
By the time we sang 'Viva La Vida',
All tension and nerves had unfurled.
We sang 'Lean on Me' acapella,
And sounded like 'Angels' above,
It was just 'Like a Prayer' had been answered
As the audience showed us their love.
The appreciation continued
When we sang the next song in the show,
'This is Now' which was written
Just a few short weeks ago.
It's another one written for the choir
By Ray's two talented daughters
They write and support one another
Like a 'Bridge over Troubled Waters'!
The Simon/Garfunkel classic
Was a favourite at the Bertie, I’ve heard,
Jane and Drew sung so beautifully
And many a tear was shed.
The next song we sang is a belter,
It’s always sung out loud and proud,
So 'Firework' sung at the Bertie
Went down a real treat with the crowd!
I’ll pause here to mention how talented
Our choir leader Annie is,
Time and again her 'True Colours' shine through
And the gig at the Bertie showed this.
Not only did Annie play piano,
And direct so we knew what to do,
And sing with the choir and sing solos,
And chat to the audience too.
She’d also arranged nearly all of the songs,
In her own special wonderful way,
And 'Somebody Told Me' she’d taken the Juniors
Earlier on in that day!
'What a Wonderful World' she’s created,
Along with her talented sis,
In the truly special and magical thing
That the Heart of Scotland is.
The song that came next at the Bertie
Was the anthem that Greig sings so well,
Representing a story
Only 'Movin on Up' can tell.
And then it was nearly the interval,
Time to head back up the stair,
But not before we’d rocked the hall
With 'Livin on a Prayer'!
A quick chat with pals and a wee drink of juice
And plenty of plaudits already,
Before we went back to our place on the stage,
Though this time our nerves were more steady!
The opening song of the second half
Had the audience all going “Bless!”
When the choir weans lined up at the front
And gave 'Give it Away' their best!
Everyone was looking forward
- Choir and audience alike -
To hear Annie sing 'Here You Come Again',
A highlight, for sure, of the night.
We all clapped, were delighted to see
Our Annie take centre-stage,
With Steve on piano, Becky on drums
And the lovely Laurie on bass.
The musicians that night were all awesome,
We saw just how talented they are,
Including Dianne with her tambu
And John with his 'Babylon' guitar!
Team Sting then sang 'Every Breath You Take'
And they certainly did themselves proud,
Then we sang one of my favourite songs,
Annie’s 'Above the Clouds'.
It sounded just 'Perfect' and everyone gasped
When it was explained to them all,
That Annie had written this beautiful song
When she was just 13 years old!
'Don’t Stop Me Now' was another hit,
It’s a song that I really love,
The choir and the soloists just let themselves go
T’was the stuff that 'Sweet Dreams' are made of!
'Fix You' was lovely, and sung with such heart,
From the audience there wasn’t a peep,
Then Greig, Drew and Paul raised the tempo and roof
With the awesome 'Rolling in the Deep'.
Ruby had featured throughout the show,
But she captured everyone’s heart,
By enchanting us with her rendition of
'Flower of Scotland' right from its start.
Then it was time for 'Second Summer',
The song that we all adore,
But that meant the show was nearly done
And we would be singing no more!
The crowd weren’t ready to let us away though
Not quite that easily,
So we popped on our cheery Santa hats
For our special wee 'Christmas Medley'!
And then, that was it, the Bertie was done,
We bowed and walked off to the right,
We said our Goodbyes then we headed off home
To reflect on our fantastic night.
From learning the songs at rehearsals,
To finding the perfect red gear,
I loved the WHOLE Bertie experience,
And cant wait to go back there next year!
(13 December 2011)
....I’d hoped that doing this would give me a better chance of a good sleep tonight but, in a moment of madness, I agreed to let Gordon have the ‘after-party’ following his Senior Dance. Thirty odd sixteen year olds will be descending upon us at midnight - clad in their kilts and posh frocks and still raring to go - so I think the chances of me (or Alex) getting a good night’s sleep lie somewhere between slim and none! Ocht well, there’s always tomorrow night.....
...Several hours later...
Video has uploaded at last (though not sure I should be posting it as I'm looking pretty scary!)
I've not been sleeping all that well since Saturday (surely it can’t still be the adrenalin?!) so I spent some time late last night writing one of my wee poems. I’ve found - in the past - that scribbling a poem about an experience can help to unravel my thoughts about it. So, here's my thought-sorting ditty about the Bertie experience! I’ve recorded me reciting it as it doesn’t really make as much sense when you read it without my intonations (which is the same for most of my poems – and that’s why I’ll never win any prizes for poetry!!). However, Youtube's playing silly buggers with me tonight and I can't get the video to upload. So, the written version will have to do for now!
My thoughts on The Bertie Experience
When the choir last performed at the Bertie,
I was sat watching TV,
I’d never heard of Heart of Scotland,
It really meant nothing to me.
But luckily Gordon had gone along
With a crowd of his pals from school,
And when I went to pick him up
He was like, “Aw Mum, that was SO cool!”
So when we got home we looked on the web
And checked out the songs on Youtube,
I was like, “Wow, they’re awesome!
I didn’t expect them to be THAT good!"
Now, fast forward to nine months later
(As the whole story would take me an age)
To the choir’s next Bertie performance,
And there we were – up on the stage!
We first sang 'I’m So Excited'
As an opener, the perfect song
As all of our friends and our families
Could clap, cheer and sing along.
'I wish' I could bottle that feeling,
- So high you could 'Rule the World' -
By the time we sang 'Viva La Vida',
All tension and nerves had unfurled.
We sang 'Lean on Me' acapella,
And sounded like 'Angels' above,
It was just 'Like a Prayer' had been answered
As the audience showed us their love.
The appreciation continued
When we sang the next song in the show,
'This is Now' which was written
Just a few short weeks ago.
It's another one written for the choir
By Ray's two talented daughters
They write and support one another
Like a 'Bridge over Troubled Waters'!
The Simon/Garfunkel classic
Was a favourite at the Bertie, I’ve heard,
Jane and Drew sung so beautifully
And many a tear was shed.
The next song we sang is a belter,
It’s always sung out loud and proud,
So 'Firework' sung at the Bertie
Went down a real treat with the crowd!
I’ll pause here to mention how talented
Our choir leader Annie is,
Time and again her 'True Colours' shine through
And the gig at the Bertie showed this.
Not only did Annie play piano,
And direct so we knew what to do,
And sing with the choir and sing solos,
And chat to the audience too.
She’d also arranged nearly all of the songs,
In her own special wonderful way,
And 'Somebody Told Me' she’d taken the Juniors
Earlier on in that day!
'What a Wonderful World' she’s created,
Along with her talented sis,
In the truly special and magical thing
That the Heart of Scotland is.
The song that came next at the Bertie
Was the anthem that Greig sings so well,
Representing a story
Only 'Movin on Up' can tell.
And then it was nearly the interval,
Time to head back up the stair,
But not before we’d rocked the hall
With 'Livin on a Prayer'!
A quick chat with pals and a wee drink of juice
And plenty of plaudits already,
Before we went back to our place on the stage,
Though this time our nerves were more steady!
The opening song of the second half
Had the audience all going “Bless!”
When the choir weans lined up at the front
And gave 'Give it Away' their best!
Everyone was looking forward
- Choir and audience alike -
To hear Annie sing 'Here You Come Again',
A highlight, for sure, of the night.
We all clapped, were delighted to see
Our Annie take centre-stage,
With Steve on piano, Becky on drums
And the lovely Laurie on bass.
The musicians that night were all awesome,
We saw just how talented they are,
Including Dianne with her tambu
And John with his 'Babylon' guitar!
Team Sting then sang 'Every Breath You Take'
And they certainly did themselves proud,
Then we sang one of my favourite songs,
Annie’s 'Above the Clouds'.
It sounded just 'Perfect' and everyone gasped
When it was explained to them all,
That Annie had written this beautiful song
When she was just 13 years old!
'Don’t Stop Me Now' was another hit,
It’s a song that I really love,
The choir and the soloists just let themselves go
T’was the stuff that 'Sweet Dreams' are made of!
'Fix You' was lovely, and sung with such heart,
From the audience there wasn’t a peep,
Then Greig, Drew and Paul raised the tempo and roof
With the awesome 'Rolling in the Deep'.
Ruby had featured throughout the show,
But she captured everyone’s heart,
By enchanting us with her rendition of
'Flower of Scotland' right from its start.
Then it was time for 'Second Summer',
The song that we all adore,
But that meant the show was nearly done
And we would be singing no more!
The crowd weren’t ready to let us away though
Not quite that easily,
So we popped on our cheery Santa hats
For our special wee 'Christmas Medley'!
And then, that was it, the Bertie was done,
We bowed and walked off to the right,
We said our Goodbyes then we headed off home
To reflect on our fantastic night.
From learning the songs at rehearsals,
To finding the perfect red gear,
I loved the WHOLE Bertie experience,
And cant wait to go back there next year!
(13 December 2011)
....I’d hoped that doing this would give me a better chance of a good sleep tonight but, in a moment of madness, I agreed to let Gordon have the ‘after-party’ following his Senior Dance. Thirty odd sixteen year olds will be descending upon us at midnight - clad in their kilts and posh frocks and still raring to go - so I think the chances of me (or Alex) getting a good night’s sleep lie somewhere between slim and none! Ocht well, there’s always tomorrow night.....
...Several hours later...
Video has uploaded at last (though not sure I should be posting it as I'm looking pretty scary!)
Monday, 12 December 2011
Re-living the Bertie
My blogger friend from across the pond, Nicky, left a lovely comment on my last post and was asking if I'd have some nice photos of the choir gig. Judging by the amount of flashing that was going on, I'm pretty sure we'll have some good photos to treasure. In the meantime though, some folk in the audience were recording the concert with their phones. Since 'Fix You' has had a fair few mentions in my blog, I thought I'd post the choir's live version here for posterity. Hope you enjoy listening to it as much as I enjoyed singing it on Saturday.....
Sunday, 11 December 2011
Buzzing from the Bertie
“I can’t wait till tomorrow night. Often the anticipation gives just about as much pleasure as the thing itself....”
This is the first line of the blog post that I never got round to finishing on Friday night. I’d intended going on to explain how excited I was about taking part in the choir’s concert in the Albert Halls in Stirling the following evening. I was going to say that I thought it would be a different kind of gig in comparison to all of the others that I’ve taken part in since joining the choir back in April. I would’ve explained that most of the other gigs have been part of something else; singing a few songs before the switching on of the Christmas lights; providing the entertainment at the interval of a fund-raising football match; warming up the crowd before a firework display; performing alongside other acts at various charity events and, of course, backing Annie during her TV appearance. I would probably have gone on to say that I’ve thoroughly enjoyed every single one of the things we’ve done so far - even when things haven’t quite gone to plan; like the time we stood out in the rain in the middle of a field, or the times the microphones haven’t worked properly, or the occasions where the stage hasn’t been big enough – and have so many happy memories of each and every one of these gigs. But I would most likely have said that the Albert Halls gig was going to be different because it was going to be the choir’s very ‘own’ concert. The bums on the seats would be there because the members of the audience had bought tickets to come and see the choir – the whole choir – and nobody but the choir. And, I’m pretty sure I would’ve said how excited I was that some of those bums were going to belong to nearly all of my family along with some of my closest friends (most of whom wouldn’t have heard the choir sing until the concert) and how special it would be to be up on stage - having an absolute blast - with my lovely choir family while my lovely real family and friends were out there in the audience to share the experience with me. I think I would’ve finished the post by saying that I was pretty sure I would be really nervous to begin with - and couldn’t imagine how nerve-wracking it must be for the choir’s fantastic soloists - but just knew that once we got going I would hopefully relax and have an absolutely brilliant night. The post would most likely have ended with a prediction that all the hard work that Annie and Jane put in, week after week, to ensure that we can all stand up, sing our hearts out, thoroughly entertain the crowd and have an awesome time to ourselves would more than pay off. The last line of Friday night’s post (had I not been distracted by a chattering Ross and Alex) would’ve said that I just couldn’t wait to have a night filled with special moments that, I was sure, would leave me with some very special memories.
.....the morning after the night before I’m still buzzing from the Bertie! So, it would seem that I would’ve been absolutely right on every single count with Friday night's post – and with bells on!
This is the first line of the blog post that I never got round to finishing on Friday night. I’d intended going on to explain how excited I was about taking part in the choir’s concert in the Albert Halls in Stirling the following evening. I was going to say that I thought it would be a different kind of gig in comparison to all of the others that I’ve taken part in since joining the choir back in April. I would’ve explained that most of the other gigs have been part of something else; singing a few songs before the switching on of the Christmas lights; providing the entertainment at the interval of a fund-raising football match; warming up the crowd before a firework display; performing alongside other acts at various charity events and, of course, backing Annie during her TV appearance. I would probably have gone on to say that I’ve thoroughly enjoyed every single one of the things we’ve done so far - even when things haven’t quite gone to plan; like the time we stood out in the rain in the middle of a field, or the times the microphones haven’t worked properly, or the occasions where the stage hasn’t been big enough – and have so many happy memories of each and every one of these gigs. But I would most likely have said that the Albert Halls gig was going to be different because it was going to be the choir’s very ‘own’ concert. The bums on the seats would be there because the members of the audience had bought tickets to come and see the choir – the whole choir – and nobody but the choir. And, I’m pretty sure I would’ve said how excited I was that some of those bums were going to belong to nearly all of my family along with some of my closest friends (most of whom wouldn’t have heard the choir sing until the concert) and how special it would be to be up on stage - having an absolute blast - with my lovely choir family while my lovely real family and friends were out there in the audience to share the experience with me. I think I would’ve finished the post by saying that I was pretty sure I would be really nervous to begin with - and couldn’t imagine how nerve-wracking it must be for the choir’s fantastic soloists - but just knew that once we got going I would hopefully relax and have an absolutely brilliant night. The post would most likely have ended with a prediction that all the hard work that Annie and Jane put in, week after week, to ensure that we can all stand up, sing our hearts out, thoroughly entertain the crowd and have an awesome time to ourselves would more than pay off. The last line of Friday night’s post (had I not been distracted by a chattering Ross and Alex) would’ve said that I just couldn’t wait to have a night filled with special moments that, I was sure, would leave me with some very special memories.
.....the morning after the night before I’m still buzzing from the Bertie! So, it would seem that I would’ve been absolutely right on every single count with Friday night's post – and with bells on!
Wednesday, 7 December 2011
Remembering Gemma's starring role!
I was looking through some of the wee poems I've written over the years, and came across this wee ditty. You'll see that I'm no T.S. Eliot! This brought a wee tear to my eye; I know I'm biased, but Gemma really was the most beautiful little angel in her Primary School nativity....
The Brightest Star
Wisps of curling hair
Bounce together but fail
To dislodge the silver tinsel halo
So lovingly placed there.
Her star on a pole
Leads the line of white sheets
And shuffling black gutties
On angels' feet.
The chorus of ‘Noel’
Isn’t quite as planned.
Timing is lost
To waving hands
Tiny Tears stares blankly
From the bed of straw,
While shepherds (clad in Dads’ shirts and Mums’ tea towels)
Look down in awe
Three satin housecoats
Swish into the hall
And their wise little wearers
Dump gifts on the doll
Silence for the slightest moment.
Then, a crescendo of little voices
Beautifully sing
‘Hark the Herald
to our new born King!’
And, through smiling tears
I watch my wee star
Not for the last time
Shine brightest by far.
The Brightest Star
Wisps of curling hair
Bounce together but fail
To dislodge the silver tinsel halo
So lovingly placed there.
Her star on a pole
Leads the line of white sheets
And shuffling black gutties
On angels' feet.
The chorus of ‘Noel’
Isn’t quite as planned.
Timing is lost
To waving hands
Tiny Tears stares blankly
From the bed of straw,
While shepherds (clad in Dads’ shirts and Mums’ tea towels)
Look down in awe
Three satin housecoats
Swish into the hall
And their wise little wearers
Dump gifts on the doll
Silence for the slightest moment.
Then, a crescendo of little voices
Beautifully sing
‘Hark the Herald
to our new born King!’
And, through smiling tears
I watch my wee star
Not for the last time
Shine brightest by far.
Monday, 5 December 2011
Starting Christmas early...
No matter when the tree goes up, the Milne household always follows the same tradition; silly Christmas hats have to be adorned, Christmas music has to be played, a wee drink or three has to be drunk, lots of chocolate decorations have to be eaten (‘because the string was broken...’), a few sweary words have to be muttered while the dreaded lights are sorted out, and we have to coorie up on the couch to watch ‘Elf’ or ‘The Grinch’ after the last bobble has been hung.
And, even though the Milne kids are all over sixteen years old, this year was no different.
....In fact, this year was a bit different, now that I come to think of it, as the tree went up earlier than ever before. Ironic really; when I think of all the years, when they were little, that the kids wanted to put the tree up as soon as they’d opened the first door on their advent calendars. “It’s far too soon!”, we’d say, and we usually managed to put them off till just a week or so before Christmas Day. So, why so early this year? Well, simply because last night was the only time in December that we could all manage to be in the house long enough to see our tradition through!
I guess I have to accept - sooner or later - that our putting-up-the-tree tradition will no longer be a whole-family affair. However, it made me feel all toasty inside when Ross and Gemma said they wanted to be here – and that’s the reason we went for it yesterday! I guess some folk might think it’s all a bit soft, but it’s a tradition that represents what Christmas is all about for us; just enjoying being together and having some good fun.
....Actually, now that I come to think of it, this year was a bit different for another reason; whoever came up with LED lights deserves a medal! I’m sure ours won’t be the only home that’ll enjoy a much more peaceful festive season without having to find that elusive dud bulb! In fact, not one sweary word passed the lips of Santa this year as he unfurled and plugged in his new set of shiny LED lights! Bliss!
And, even though the Milne kids are all over sixteen years old, this year was no different.
....In fact, this year was a bit different, now that I come to think of it, as the tree went up earlier than ever before. Ironic really; when I think of all the years, when they were little, that the kids wanted to put the tree up as soon as they’d opened the first door on their advent calendars. “It’s far too soon!”, we’d say, and we usually managed to put them off till just a week or so before Christmas Day. So, why so early this year? Well, simply because last night was the only time in December that we could all manage to be in the house long enough to see our tradition through!
I guess I have to accept - sooner or later - that our putting-up-the-tree tradition will no longer be a whole-family affair. However, it made me feel all toasty inside when Ross and Gemma said they wanted to be here – and that’s the reason we went for it yesterday! I guess some folk might think it’s all a bit soft, but it’s a tradition that represents what Christmas is all about for us; just enjoying being together and having some good fun.
....Actually, now that I come to think of it, this year was a bit different for another reason; whoever came up with LED lights deserves a medal! I’m sure ours won’t be the only home that’ll enjoy a much more peaceful festive season without having to find that elusive dud bulb! In fact, not one sweary word passed the lips of Santa this year as he unfurled and plugged in his new set of shiny LED lights! Bliss!
 |
| You're never too old.......... |
Tuesday, 29 November 2011
Being shortlisted!
I spent a fair amount of time recently putting together an application for a charity placement so I was absolutely delighted yesterday when I received confirmation that I’d been shortlisted for one of the available places. According to their website, over 11,000 folk applied to the Vodafone Foundation World of Difference scheme last year (which I first mentioned in this post), so I’m chuffed to have made it to the final 750!
Basically, the foundation funds 500 UK placements in the hope that the recipients will ‘make a difference’ to their chosen charity. As much as I get a whole load of satisfaction out of volunteering, I couldn’t afford to devote 15 hours a week for a four month period doing it. So, the idea is that the foundation pays the charity to ‘employ’ people for a short spell who would love to have a go at doing more for their chosen charity; it’s not a huge amount of money you’re paid, but it would be enough to allow me to justify sacrificing some of my ‘work, work’ time to doing more for Strathcarron Hospice.
The application process involved: coming up with a proposal of how I could ‘make a difference’ to Strathcarron; presenting it to the Hospice for their approval; then presenting it to the foundation judges in the form of an online submission. There was also an option to submit a supplementary video and, as I figured it was important to use every possible option available to make the application stand out from the other however-many-thousand that the judges would be sifting through, I wrote, recited and recorded me reading a wee poem about my plan to help the hospice. (I know it sounds naff, but I guess it kind of worked!)
So, some time during the next few weeks: my referees will be contacted; the hospice will be contacted (to check that they’re fully behind me working for them); and I’ll be contacted for a telephone interview (Help ma boab!). Then I’ll be told, anytime up to the middle of January, if I have a place. Once I know whether I’ve made it or not to the winning 500, I’ll be able to say more about what I’d actually be doing at the hospice, but I don't feel right about doing that till the placements have been awarded.
Suffice to say that the jist of my proposal would involve bringing ‘A Myriad of Music’ to the hospice, so it just seemed fitting that music has featured a lot in what’s been making me happy over the past few days. One of the things I miss most about the kids being away from home is the ‘sound’ of them being around the house. So, singing along with Gemma, as she was pottering about at the piano on Saturday afternoon when she was home for a flying visit, was just braw. I started secretly recording her with my phone – I’m obviously biased, but I just love to hear Gemma play and sing – and the wee video below is us giving it big licks with one of the songs that we love to sing together (I’m giving it my best shot with the low harmony that I’ve been taught at choir in the background! Hope I'm not infringing on Annie and Jane's copyright!). Me and Gemma would never make it on X Factor (thank goodness!), but the pleasure we get out of having a sing-song together beats all the fortune that that that kind of fame could bring!
So, that was the first thing. Then, I had choir last night. We’re full in the throes of rehearsing for our concert at Stirling’s Albert Hall on the 10th of December (have I mentioned that before?!) and last night the band that’ll be accompanying us came along to practise. I absolutely loved it. Aw man, I could’ve stood there singing all night. And, one of my favourites of the night was the one that Gemma and I had been playing around with on the wee video; Coldplay’s ‘Fix You’. It was the first song I learned with the choir, and it’s one of our family favourites. Just seemed so apt that it was so awesome last night.
Lastly, Alex and I are heading through to the Playhouse in Edinburgh tonight to see ‘We Will Rock You’. In a similar vein to the real Queen having two birthdays, me and Alex have two anniversaries; the 28th of June (to celebrate the day we got married) and the 29th of November (to celebrate the night we started going out – 31 years ago today!). So, what better way to round off my ‘Myriad of Music’ weekend than going to a musical that celebrates the music of a band that I love with the man that I love!
I'm feeling quite brave posting this wee video, I think I'm a bit carried away with the excitement of the past few days! No doubt I'll regret it tomorrow and pull it off the blog, but, in the meantime, here's me and Gemma making some noise (with no pictures to go with it)!
Basically, the foundation funds 500 UK placements in the hope that the recipients will ‘make a difference’ to their chosen charity. As much as I get a whole load of satisfaction out of volunteering, I couldn’t afford to devote 15 hours a week for a four month period doing it. So, the idea is that the foundation pays the charity to ‘employ’ people for a short spell who would love to have a go at doing more for their chosen charity; it’s not a huge amount of money you’re paid, but it would be enough to allow me to justify sacrificing some of my ‘work, work’ time to doing more for Strathcarron Hospice.
The application process involved: coming up with a proposal of how I could ‘make a difference’ to Strathcarron; presenting it to the Hospice for their approval; then presenting it to the foundation judges in the form of an online submission. There was also an option to submit a supplementary video and, as I figured it was important to use every possible option available to make the application stand out from the other however-many-thousand that the judges would be sifting through, I wrote, recited and recorded me reading a wee poem about my plan to help the hospice. (I know it sounds naff, but I guess it kind of worked!)
So, some time during the next few weeks: my referees will be contacted; the hospice will be contacted (to check that they’re fully behind me working for them); and I’ll be contacted for a telephone interview (Help ma boab!). Then I’ll be told, anytime up to the middle of January, if I have a place. Once I know whether I’ve made it or not to the winning 500, I’ll be able to say more about what I’d actually be doing at the hospice, but I don't feel right about doing that till the placements have been awarded.
Suffice to say that the jist of my proposal would involve bringing ‘A Myriad of Music’ to the hospice, so it just seemed fitting that music has featured a lot in what’s been making me happy over the past few days. One of the things I miss most about the kids being away from home is the ‘sound’ of them being around the house. So, singing along with Gemma, as she was pottering about at the piano on Saturday afternoon when she was home for a flying visit, was just braw. I started secretly recording her with my phone – I’m obviously biased, but I just love to hear Gemma play and sing – and the wee video below is us giving it big licks with one of the songs that we love to sing together (I’m giving it my best shot with the low harmony that I’ve been taught at choir in the background! Hope I'm not infringing on Annie and Jane's copyright!). Me and Gemma would never make it on X Factor (thank goodness!), but the pleasure we get out of having a sing-song together beats all the fortune that that that kind of fame could bring!
So, that was the first thing. Then, I had choir last night. We’re full in the throes of rehearsing for our concert at Stirling’s Albert Hall on the 10th of December (have I mentioned that before?!) and last night the band that’ll be accompanying us came along to practise. I absolutely loved it. Aw man, I could’ve stood there singing all night. And, one of my favourites of the night was the one that Gemma and I had been playing around with on the wee video; Coldplay’s ‘Fix You’. It was the first song I learned with the choir, and it’s one of our family favourites. Just seemed so apt that it was so awesome last night.
Lastly, Alex and I are heading through to the Playhouse in Edinburgh tonight to see ‘We Will Rock You’. In a similar vein to the real Queen having two birthdays, me and Alex have two anniversaries; the 28th of June (to celebrate the day we got married) and the 29th of November (to celebrate the night we started going out – 31 years ago today!). So, what better way to round off my ‘Myriad of Music’ weekend than going to a musical that celebrates the music of a band that I love with the man that I love!
I'm feeling quite brave posting this wee video, I think I'm a bit carried away with the excitement of the past few days! No doubt I'll regret it tomorrow and pull it off the blog, but, in the meantime, here's me and Gemma making some noise (with no pictures to go with it)!
Sunday, 27 November 2011
Being lucky
Another busy week’s nearly over and, in the light of something that I was reminded of on Thursday, it wasn’t down to good luck that I had a good week; it was more likely because I’d been willing to explore new opportunities!
My pal Linda had asked me if I fancied going along to a Psychology Conference in Edinburgh. I didn’t have much time to look at the gumph but I said I’d go as (a) I’d noticed that one of the speakers had written one of my Open Uni text books (b) because I thought it would look good on my CV and (c) because even if the conference was rubbish, I knew I’d enjoy spending a day away with Linda! The idea that I might be inspired and thoroughly entertained had never even crossed my mind - but I was...and I had a blast with Linda into the bargain.
The premise of the conference was to enthuse and encourage folk not only to study psychology, but also to emphasise the importance of weeding out the ‘bad science’ approach. In other words, encouraging the psychologists of the future to properly test their theories and produce sound evidence to back up their conclusions. It was aimed primarily at A level students, so Linda and I fitted in perfectly well as we could easily have been one of the accompanying teachers...! We watched and listened to various presentations by some fairly eminent psychologists, all of which I thoroughly enjoyed, however my favourite - by far - was by Professor Richard Wiseman. Do you know the guy I mean? I’d heard of him, but couldn’t quite place him, then, when he started his first wee spiel, I thought I recognised him from the telly. Well, it turns out that he’s pretty well-known. He’s got a massive following on Twitter, Youtube and that kind of thing – but I think I recognised him from his time on ‘Tomorrow’s World’! (I know, I’m really showing my age here!)
Anyway, he’s really entertaining in the way that he presents his work – probably because he’s a magician and illusionist as well as a Professor of psychology. Some of Derren Brown’s latest batch of telly programmes, ‘The Experiments’ were actually based on Richard Wiseman’s research. It kind of bugs me that more emphasis isn’t placed on the fact that Brown’s ‘ambitious sociological experiments’ (his own words) are all based on hypotheses that have already been devised, tried, tested and proven in controlled experiments by qualified psychologists, before he decides to turn them into prime time glossy entertainment shows. But, I noticed that Professor Wiseman was an advisor to the production team, so I guess he must be OK with the way the programmes were presented – and I suppose they do introduce the ideas behind the research to a much wider audience.
Back to the conference; one of the presentations that Richard Wiseman gave on Thursday revolved around his experiments on ‘luck’. He’s scientifically shown that there’s not really such a thing as ‘good or bad luck’. The people who call themselves lucky are much more likely to be the kind of folk that’ll grab opportunities as they arise; they’ll go for it, try new things, take chances, have a wider view of what’s going on round about them (so are more likely to see opportunities that present themselves) and will have more of a ‘cup-half-full’ approach to life. There obviously has to be some element of chance involved, but he showed that you can significantly increase those chances if you have a more positive state of mind, be more sociable, live in the moment and grab any opportunities you do encounter. I just thought it was brilliant to witness someone getting across to a young, impressionable audience - in not only an engaging and entertaining way but also backed up with hard evidence - the merits of not sitting on your ass waiting for good things to happen to you, or doing the opposite and being too focussed on one long-term goal.
I definitely got my attitude of ‘try to make the most of what’s going on around about you at the moment, and the future is more likely to be brighter’ from my Dad. Which is a bit ironic as I was ‘unlucky’ enough have my Dad snatched away from me by a heart attack when he was only 57 years old. But, one of the things that’s always given me a bit of comfort is the knowledge that my Dad made the most, and looked on the bright side, of most of his days. Even the shitty ones. He always tried to look for the positive slant on things; he was usually cheery and he taught me that life’s very much what you make it. If you’re not happy with the way things are in your life, try to change them. Now, I know that’s a bit simplistic and idealistic, and there can be a whole stack of reasons why it’s not easy to do that. I’m certainly not brimming with happiness every moment of every day, and sometimes it’s really difficult to see the silver lining. But, it’s something I aspire to do – and it’s something I’m delighted that my kids seem to have grasped. I love that they all try to make the most of what’s going on at the moment. They don’t let the long-term goal get in the way of enjoying the present day (at least they try not to). It’s like that common ‘pushy parent’ thing. If you keep harping on at your kids that they have to be the best in school, or in their sport, or in their dance class or whatever, they might well accomplish all of those things; but they’ll probably have a pretty miserable journey on the way - and will probably still be miserable once they’ve reached those goals. On the other hand, if they’re leading well-rounded lives, being sociable, being praised for making an effort and finding new things that make them feel good, they’re possibly more likely to succeed – maybe not in the thing that their parents wanted them to, but they’ll hopefully continue to be generally happy.
Oh dear, this post has turned into a bit of a dis-jointed ramble, but I actually find it quite difficult to put it all into words! I think I’m basically saying that Richard Wiseman’s presentation was brilliant because he stood in front of me and expressed what goes on in my head when I think of my ideal way of approaching life. Try to make the best of it – it can be really crap sometimes, through ill-health, losing someone we love, losing a job, running out of money, ocht, a whole multitude of things – but, if we can somehow manage not to give up, and be open to any new opportunities that might come along, all the shitty things might just be a wee bit easier to deal with – we’ll hopefully experience a change in our luck! It won’t work for everyone, or every situation, but it’s the way I like to try to be. There are times that I do find it hard to see the sunshine through the rain, and at those times good family and friends (or anyone else that can lend an empathic ear!) can be invaluable. But, just as Richard Wiseman has proved beyond doubt, optimism plays a vital role in turning things around and most of us do have the ability to change our mindset. If you go looking for a change in luck, you’re much more likely to find it.
Anyway, where’s that lottery ticket I was filling in earlier......
My pal Linda had asked me if I fancied going along to a Psychology Conference in Edinburgh. I didn’t have much time to look at the gumph but I said I’d go as (a) I’d noticed that one of the speakers had written one of my Open Uni text books (b) because I thought it would look good on my CV and (c) because even if the conference was rubbish, I knew I’d enjoy spending a day away with Linda! The idea that I might be inspired and thoroughly entertained had never even crossed my mind - but I was...and I had a blast with Linda into the bargain.
The premise of the conference was to enthuse and encourage folk not only to study psychology, but also to emphasise the importance of weeding out the ‘bad science’ approach. In other words, encouraging the psychologists of the future to properly test their theories and produce sound evidence to back up their conclusions. It was aimed primarily at A level students, so Linda and I fitted in perfectly well as we could easily have been one of the accompanying teachers...! We watched and listened to various presentations by some fairly eminent psychologists, all of which I thoroughly enjoyed, however my favourite - by far - was by Professor Richard Wiseman. Do you know the guy I mean? I’d heard of him, but couldn’t quite place him, then, when he started his first wee spiel, I thought I recognised him from the telly. Well, it turns out that he’s pretty well-known. He’s got a massive following on Twitter, Youtube and that kind of thing – but I think I recognised him from his time on ‘Tomorrow’s World’! (I know, I’m really showing my age here!)
Anyway, he’s really entertaining in the way that he presents his work – probably because he’s a magician and illusionist as well as a Professor of psychology. Some of Derren Brown’s latest batch of telly programmes, ‘The Experiments’ were actually based on Richard Wiseman’s research. It kind of bugs me that more emphasis isn’t placed on the fact that Brown’s ‘ambitious sociological experiments’ (his own words) are all based on hypotheses that have already been devised, tried, tested and proven in controlled experiments by qualified psychologists, before he decides to turn them into prime time glossy entertainment shows. But, I noticed that Professor Wiseman was an advisor to the production team, so I guess he must be OK with the way the programmes were presented – and I suppose they do introduce the ideas behind the research to a much wider audience.
Back to the conference; one of the presentations that Richard Wiseman gave on Thursday revolved around his experiments on ‘luck’. He’s scientifically shown that there’s not really such a thing as ‘good or bad luck’. The people who call themselves lucky are much more likely to be the kind of folk that’ll grab opportunities as they arise; they’ll go for it, try new things, take chances, have a wider view of what’s going on round about them (so are more likely to see opportunities that present themselves) and will have more of a ‘cup-half-full’ approach to life. There obviously has to be some element of chance involved, but he showed that you can significantly increase those chances if you have a more positive state of mind, be more sociable, live in the moment and grab any opportunities you do encounter. I just thought it was brilliant to witness someone getting across to a young, impressionable audience - in not only an engaging and entertaining way but also backed up with hard evidence - the merits of not sitting on your ass waiting for good things to happen to you, or doing the opposite and being too focussed on one long-term goal.
I definitely got my attitude of ‘try to make the most of what’s going on around about you at the moment, and the future is more likely to be brighter’ from my Dad. Which is a bit ironic as I was ‘unlucky’ enough have my Dad snatched away from me by a heart attack when he was only 57 years old. But, one of the things that’s always given me a bit of comfort is the knowledge that my Dad made the most, and looked on the bright side, of most of his days. Even the shitty ones. He always tried to look for the positive slant on things; he was usually cheery and he taught me that life’s very much what you make it. If you’re not happy with the way things are in your life, try to change them. Now, I know that’s a bit simplistic and idealistic, and there can be a whole stack of reasons why it’s not easy to do that. I’m certainly not brimming with happiness every moment of every day, and sometimes it’s really difficult to see the silver lining. But, it’s something I aspire to do – and it’s something I’m delighted that my kids seem to have grasped. I love that they all try to make the most of what’s going on at the moment. They don’t let the long-term goal get in the way of enjoying the present day (at least they try not to). It’s like that common ‘pushy parent’ thing. If you keep harping on at your kids that they have to be the best in school, or in their sport, or in their dance class or whatever, they might well accomplish all of those things; but they’ll probably have a pretty miserable journey on the way - and will probably still be miserable once they’ve reached those goals. On the other hand, if they’re leading well-rounded lives, being sociable, being praised for making an effort and finding new things that make them feel good, they’re possibly more likely to succeed – maybe not in the thing that their parents wanted them to, but they’ll hopefully continue to be generally happy.
Oh dear, this post has turned into a bit of a dis-jointed ramble, but I actually find it quite difficult to put it all into words! I think I’m basically saying that Richard Wiseman’s presentation was brilliant because he stood in front of me and expressed what goes on in my head when I think of my ideal way of approaching life. Try to make the best of it – it can be really crap sometimes, through ill-health, losing someone we love, losing a job, running out of money, ocht, a whole multitude of things – but, if we can somehow manage not to give up, and be open to any new opportunities that might come along, all the shitty things might just be a wee bit easier to deal with – we’ll hopefully experience a change in our luck! It won’t work for everyone, or every situation, but it’s the way I like to try to be. There are times that I do find it hard to see the sunshine through the rain, and at those times good family and friends (or anyone else that can lend an empathic ear!) can be invaluable. But, just as Richard Wiseman has proved beyond doubt, optimism plays a vital role in turning things around and most of us do have the ability to change our mindset. If you go looking for a change in luck, you’re much more likely to find it.
Anyway, where’s that lottery ticket I was filling in earlier......
Monday, 21 November 2011
Lots of things in a busy weekend - and chatting to Des and Jennie!
I’ve got up this morning feeling happy knackered and looking forward to another busy week ahead.
Saturday was spent up in St Andrews with Gemma and Alex supporting Ross in the Scottish Uni Cross Country Championships. He had a brilliant run and I was so proud to see him coming in as a counter for the Strathclyde team – the cherry on the cake was a silver medal for his efforts! Being up there on Gemma’s ‘Uni’ home turf somehow made the day even more special and we really enjoyed spending time with her over a chatty lunch after the race. I was spoiled, having Gemma at home for a full week a couple of weeks ago, and the house has been feeling too empty ever since.
Saturday night was spent in Larbert singing with the choir at a gig to raise funds for Kidney Research. One of the girls in the choir, Pauline, had arranged the evening to celebrate a family success story. Her gorgeous wee niece had received the gift of a kidney from her own Dad - Pauline’s brother - just over a year ago. The night was made so much more special by being able to see a successful result of the fantastic work that renal units do every day. And, aw man, the Bellshill Sally Army Brass Band were playing too. I love the sound of a big brass band, but they were in a league of their own! Honest – they were brilliant! They did spine-tingling renditions of things like the music from Lion King, Andrew Lloyd Webber songs and the most beautiful version of My Love is Like a Red Red Rose. I don’t think there was a dry eye in the hall. I never could’ve imagined that I would write a blog post about how good it made me feel to be sharing a stage with the Salvation Army on a Saturday night! I love life’s unexpected moments of lovliness! Great car-chat on the way home with my buddy, Christine, topped off a fabulous night.
Most of Sunday was spent in front of the computer doing some work for a charity placement scheme I’m applying for, but I had a lovely break from it in the afternoon to sing with the choir at the switching on of the Christmas lights in Stirling. Annie had been told, by the organisers, that only a few people could stand up on the stage so my wee section – the low harmony group – were up there, undercover, with Annie. It felt really weird looking over to the rest of the choir - standing in a cordoned off area outside in the intermittent rain - and just not being all together. As ever, we just all got on with it and Annie made sure we made the best of a difficult arrangement – it certainly can’t have been easy for her, having to coordinate us all while we were spread all around. However, as professional as ever, she just got on with it and made the very best of the difficult situation. We always sing live, with no recorded backing tracks or anything like that, and that can sometimes make things much more testing – especially in an outside environment, or when there aren’t enough microphones provided – but if the Heart of Scotland choir are asked to perform, they perform live. That can make the performance technically much more challenging, but Annie and Jane are never afraid to meet those challenges head on.
It was the first gig that Ross has made it along to. I felt so great when I saw him standing there, out in the rain, looking knackered (he’d had a late night out celebrating the events of the day before with his running pals), supporting his auld maw doing her wee thing. And, he’d really enjoyed it -even with the sound issues at some points during our set - he heard enough to give us a big seal of approval! To round off the excitement, I had a hug and a chat with Des and Jennie!! You know who I mean? They do the Breakfast Show on Capital Radio. Anyway, when we came down off the wee stage, they were standing waiting to go on. I made a bit of an arse of myself (remember, the endorphins are always flowing when you sing, so I was a wee bit over-excited!) by being a wee bit over-zealous in my chat to them, but they were really lovely and humoured me by chatting and telling me they thought the choir sounded brilliant! Feeling brave with the confidence that feeling great gives you, I said, “Aw, that’s so great! I’m so glad you liked it. So, when can we come on your show then?” Des told me to email him the details and, as long as we could sing something modern, he’d see what he could do! Ocht, maybe he was just humouring me, but it was so nice of him to spend the time to chat! I had a bit of a mild panic later, thinking about how it’s not my place to go telling folk we’ll perform for them – but hopefully Annie and Jane didn’t mind too much – especially if we do manage to get a wee slot on Capital, or even a wee plug for our concert in a few weeks at the Albert Halls in Stirling! (10th of December, if you’d like to come along!)
Back at home, a nice meal with the family (except Gemma) followed by the completion – in the wee small hours – of my placement application topped off a really great weekend. I’m heading out for a busy day of bits and bobs shortly, but first, I think I’ll send that email to Des and Jennie – just in case they were serious about having a wee visit from a great choir with a big heart to their studios. And, let’s face it, nothing ventured......
Saturday was spent up in St Andrews with Gemma and Alex supporting Ross in the Scottish Uni Cross Country Championships. He had a brilliant run and I was so proud to see him coming in as a counter for the Strathclyde team – the cherry on the cake was a silver medal for his efforts! Being up there on Gemma’s ‘Uni’ home turf somehow made the day even more special and we really enjoyed spending time with her over a chatty lunch after the race. I was spoiled, having Gemma at home for a full week a couple of weeks ago, and the house has been feeling too empty ever since.
Saturday night was spent in Larbert singing with the choir at a gig to raise funds for Kidney Research. One of the girls in the choir, Pauline, had arranged the evening to celebrate a family success story. Her gorgeous wee niece had received the gift of a kidney from her own Dad - Pauline’s brother - just over a year ago. The night was made so much more special by being able to see a successful result of the fantastic work that renal units do every day. And, aw man, the Bellshill Sally Army Brass Band were playing too. I love the sound of a big brass band, but they were in a league of their own! Honest – they were brilliant! They did spine-tingling renditions of things like the music from Lion King, Andrew Lloyd Webber songs and the most beautiful version of My Love is Like a Red Red Rose. I don’t think there was a dry eye in the hall. I never could’ve imagined that I would write a blog post about how good it made me feel to be sharing a stage with the Salvation Army on a Saturday night! I love life’s unexpected moments of lovliness! Great car-chat on the way home with my buddy, Christine, topped off a fabulous night.
Most of Sunday was spent in front of the computer doing some work for a charity placement scheme I’m applying for, but I had a lovely break from it in the afternoon to sing with the choir at the switching on of the Christmas lights in Stirling. Annie had been told, by the organisers, that only a few people could stand up on the stage so my wee section – the low harmony group – were up there, undercover, with Annie. It felt really weird looking over to the rest of the choir - standing in a cordoned off area outside in the intermittent rain - and just not being all together. As ever, we just all got on with it and Annie made sure we made the best of a difficult arrangement – it certainly can’t have been easy for her, having to coordinate us all while we were spread all around. However, as professional as ever, she just got on with it and made the very best of the difficult situation. We always sing live, with no recorded backing tracks or anything like that, and that can sometimes make things much more testing – especially in an outside environment, or when there aren’t enough microphones provided – but if the Heart of Scotland choir are asked to perform, they perform live. That can make the performance technically much more challenging, but Annie and Jane are never afraid to meet those challenges head on.
It was the first gig that Ross has made it along to. I felt so great when I saw him standing there, out in the rain, looking knackered (he’d had a late night out celebrating the events of the day before with his running pals), supporting his auld maw doing her wee thing. And, he’d really enjoyed it -even with the sound issues at some points during our set - he heard enough to give us a big seal of approval! To round off the excitement, I had a hug and a chat with Des and Jennie!! You know who I mean? They do the Breakfast Show on Capital Radio. Anyway, when we came down off the wee stage, they were standing waiting to go on. I made a bit of an arse of myself (remember, the endorphins are always flowing when you sing, so I was a wee bit over-excited!) by being a wee bit over-zealous in my chat to them, but they were really lovely and humoured me by chatting and telling me they thought the choir sounded brilliant! Feeling brave with the confidence that feeling great gives you, I said, “Aw, that’s so great! I’m so glad you liked it. So, when can we come on your show then?” Des told me to email him the details and, as long as we could sing something modern, he’d see what he could do! Ocht, maybe he was just humouring me, but it was so nice of him to spend the time to chat! I had a bit of a mild panic later, thinking about how it’s not my place to go telling folk we’ll perform for them – but hopefully Annie and Jane didn’t mind too much – especially if we do manage to get a wee slot on Capital, or even a wee plug for our concert in a few weeks at the Albert Halls in Stirling! (10th of December, if you’d like to come along!)
Back at home, a nice meal with the family (except Gemma) followed by the completion – in the wee small hours – of my placement application topped off a really great weekend. I’m heading out for a busy day of bits and bobs shortly, but first, I think I’ll send that email to Des and Jennie – just in case they were serious about having a wee visit from a great choir with a big heart to their studios. And, let’s face it, nothing ventured......
Tuesday, 15 November 2011
A feel-good advert
Oh dear, that was a bit of a grumpy post, that last one. A wee bit of a viral thingy, a sleepless night and I turn into Victor Meldrew! Tut, tut.
It doesn't make me feel good having such a whinging post at the top of my blog, but I don't have time to write anything much just now as I'm heading back out the door soon. So, instead, here's the John Lewis Christmas advert; it brings a lump to my throat and makes me feel good every time I see it!
It doesn't make me feel good having such a whinging post at the top of my blog, but I don't have time to write anything much just now as I'm heading back out the door soon. So, instead, here's the John Lewis Christmas advert; it brings a lump to my throat and makes me feel good every time I see it!
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