Back to School 2022

 

A wee bit late with this but the little people have returned to school for another term. Except some of them aren't little any more. Ava has now joined her big brother and sister at high school. Is it any wonder I've so little hair...?

Edinburgh Fringe 2022 Review: A War of Two Halves *****

 

It’s 1914. One of the bloodiest conflicts the world has seen – described at the time as the ‘war to end all wars’ – breaks out in Europe. In Scotland, football continues and is seen by many as a welcome distraction from the horrors of war in Europe. However, there are many who feel those playing football should be turning their attention to more serious matters on foreign shores.

At the top of the Scottish First Division sit Heart of Midlothian FC. They have won 19 of 21 matches and it seems no one can stop Edinburgh’s finest football club becoming Scottish league champions. Then, James Speedie, one of Hearts top players says he is going to volunteer to serve his country – conscription wasn’t introduced until 1916. Thirteen of the Hearts players would volunteer to serve together in Sir George McCrae’s Battalion destined to fight in France. They were joined by Hearts supporters and players and supporters of other clubs after a rallying call at Edinburgh’s Usher Hall.

A War of Two Halves is the story of these young Hearts players; an evocative and dramatic journey through Tynecastle Park led by the players/soldiers in a unique site-specific performance.

I first saw this production in 2018 and was hugely impressed by the acting, direction and production. The passion of the actors shines through and, four years later, the standards are as high as they were then.

The passion shown by those young actors is what is striking about this performance. When you sit in the present-day Hearts changing room at Tynecastle – as part of the performance – the presence of these young actors, resplendent in the Hearts strip of 1914 takes you back more than a century. Hearts manager John McCartney, excellently played by Tim Barrow, grows through emotional turmoil as his young charges leave the front of the First Division to a very different and frightening front on foreign land.

The story begins with Alfie Briggs – one of the Hearts players in that famous team – played with some style by Bryan Lowe and you know Lowe is an ardent Hearts supporter by the way he kisses the maroon shirt in the opening minutes. Acting doesn’t teach you this – it comes from the heart.

Others such as Paul Beeson as Alfie, Euan Bennet as Annan Ness and Fraser Bryson as Patrick Crossan – the self-proclaimed most handsome of the Hearts team! - equally impress and it is little wonder this show was a sell-out in 2018 and 2019 before the ravages of Covid-19 brought the show to a halt.

This is a passionate and very well acted story which leaves a lump in the throat not only for those Hearts supporters present but for everyone else witnessing this superb production.

Written by Paul Beeson & Tim Barrow, and featuring a cast of young Scottish actors, A War of Two Halves is directed by Bruce Strachan, Artistic Director of Nonsense Room Productions.

Fans of all football clubs are welcome. Indeed, even if you’re not a football fan you can’t fail to feel emotional at the telling of this heart-warming yet tragic story. I defy you not to have a lump in your throat at the end of the performance.

A five star rating all the way!

A War of Two Halves plays at Tynecastle Park August 7-23, 26-27. Tickets here

 

Review: Sweet F.A.

 

Photo: Mike Smith

A couple of years ago, in happier days for stage and theatre before Covid-19 struck and the world was plunged into dark times, there was an excellent stage production - A War of Two Halves - staged at Tynecastle Park, the home of Edinburgh’s oldest and biggest football club Heart of Midlothian.

With lockdown restrictions eased somewhat – for now – the team behind that excellent production is back with another breath-taking piece of theatre. And again, the setting is Tynecastle Park.

With a highly talented nine-strong ensemble, Sweet F.A. written by Paul Beeson and Tim Barrow, and produced by Bruce Strachan is, like A War of Two Halves, set during the First World War and tells the story of football players whose lives are deeply affected by the events in the battlefield. This time, however, the story is of a group of women factory workers at the North British Rubber Company in Edinburgh’s Fountainbridge whose passion for football is almost as strong as their love for their men in the fields of France. The women are involved in the production of wellington boots for their loved ones fighting for their King and country.

Their story of everyday struggle alleviated by their love of football and determination to form a football club at a time when women’s football was most definitely frowned upon by the football authorities is an extremely powerful one.

As you might expect it’s an all-female cast with some stunning individual performances. From the opening scene when Daisy and Alice meet each other for the first time in the Diggers pub – and there’s a nice wee reference for those not familiar with Gorgie’s watering holes as to why the Athletic Arms is called the Diggers – to a highly-charged ending when the football suits in Glasgow finally get their way, Sweet F.A. transports you back to a different era when equality was just a word in the dictionary and women’s rights were restricted to a life looking after their menfolk, raising children and spending most of their time in the family home.

It is a tragic tale in more ways in one. Most of the factory girls are affected by personal loss in the war but this heart-tugging story of courage is also one of forbidden love.  Amidst the emotionally charged scenes, however, there is biting humour and numerous digs at the football authorities in Scotland, including today’s men in suits. It says much for the brilliant writing and production of the show that they can reference into a scene from more than a century ago last season’s controversial SPFL vote which demoted Hearts from the top flight thanks to a missing vote from Dundee F.C.

The action is impressive, too, particularly when the girls play their Edinburgh arch-rivals from Ramage & Ferguson shipbuilders – who, of course, hail from Leith. The women’s teams equivalent of Hearts-Hibs games. The players describe the action in fine detail culminating with a pause for great effect before wildly celebrating a ‘goal’.

The hugely impressive cast successfully convey the story of how popular women’s football was during the First World War. And your admiration for their achievements is accompanied with deep sympathy for the huge emotional turmoil most of them go through. For Daisy and Alice this emotional turmoil has added piquancy.

It’s remarkable to think the ban on women’s football that followed in the early 1920s lasted nearly 50 years – in fact it was longer in Scotland as the narrator explains with understandable bitterness. The frequent digs at Scotland’s football authorities throughout the show went down well with audience, not all of whom were of the maroon persuasion.

Even if you’re not into football you will be inspired by this brilliant production. I didn’t want it to end and there must have been something in my eye towards the end of the performance – honestly!

A five-star review for a five-star performance!

Sweet F.A. is on until Monday 30^th August 2021. Tickets here.

 

Back to School

Back to school for the gang earlier this week. I wish their teachers well...

 

Edinburgh's Leaders

Embra cooncillors: What can we replace this monstrosity with?

    

                                                How about this....?

 

SWEET F.A. - The Story of the Right to Play Football

 

Winning, working women won’t you hear what we’ve tae say

We work our hands unto the bones for a quarter less in pay

We started our own football teams and showed them how to play

But when we ask for equal rights we’re given Sweet F.A.

 

1916. The men fight on the Western Front. The women work in the factories, and form football teams, playing other factory teams across Scotland and raising money for the war effort. Women’s football fast becomes the most popular game in the land. Worried that their game is starting to rival the men’s, the football authorities ban the women’s game in 1921.

Sweet F.A. tells the story of one women’s factory football team from Fountainbridge, fighting for their right to play the beautiful game.

Following their acclaimed productions of A War of Two Halves at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2018 and 2019, the producers present a new play at Tynecastle Park for the Edinburgh Fringe 2021. Written by Paul Beeson & Tim Barrow, Sweet F.A. is directed by Bruce Strachan, Artistic Director of Nonsense Room Productions, with original music composed by Matthew Brown.

 “We are thrilled to be returning to Tynecastle Park with a brand new production, telling this timely tale of the rise of women’s football during the First World War. After an uncertain, disrupted time it feels more vital than ever to bring people together to tell stories. We’re grateful to Hearts for allowing us to take advantage of the outdoor, covered facilities in the main stand at Tynecastle, and we immensely look forward to meeting Tynecastle audiences again, telling this important story about women’s football – including its historical connection to the ground. We vividly remember the brilliant reception they gave A War of Two Halves and they, and new audiences, can expect a similar blend of history, humour, passion and poignancy from this brilliant tale. ”

                                                Bruce Strachan, Director

Heart of Midlothian Football Club welcomes audiences to their stadium, the historic Tynecastle Park:

 “I thought the last play was outstanding – top notch acting – in fact, it was that good I went back and watched it 3 times! Really looking forward to the new one, and I would recommend everyone to get along to see it.”

                                                Gary Locke, Club Ambassador, Heart of Midlothian Football Club

 “We’re delighted to be able to welcome back the team from This is My Story Productions with a brand-new story to tell.  The resurgence of women’s football in the early 20^th Century, to huge popularity, and the subsequent barriers and bans by authorities had a huge and lasting impact.  Sweet FA manages to brilliantly capture the spirit of those war years and deliver a little bit of history with some real laugh out loud moments.  Something I think we’re all in need of just now.”

                                                Lianne Parry, Head of Heritage, Heart of Midlothian Football Club

 Sweet F.A. plays from Thursday 5^th August to Monday 30^th August 2021, with shows at 3pm and 7:30pm each day (some days without shows due to football fixtures – to be confirmed). The production is suitable for ages 12 and upwards, and has been designed to be compatible with the latest Covid-secure requirements for events, and takes place outside in the concourses and Main Stand at Tynecastle Park.

 

Tickets will be available from:

Edinburgh Fringe – www.edfringe.com  

Universe Events – www.universe.com/users/heart-of-midlothian-football-club-4GP5VW

Getting Older

 

The effect of lockdown on one's mental health is intensified at times you would usually share with family and loved ones. I commiserated celebrated the beginning of the final year of my fifties on Friday but the usual family gathering was prevented due to lockdown rules in Scotland as a result of the Covid pandemic.

These technological times, however, meant I did get WhatsApp messages from my three of my five grandchildren (the youngest two still being a wee bit young for that sort of thing) and these highlighted it isn't just me who is getting older.

Jack, who will be 16 in a couple of months and, therefore, a young man sent me a typically polite 'Hope you have a good day' message. 

Hannah, who will be 14 going on 24 in August, said 'Happy birthday Papapapapapapa' which is probably her way of showing a sense of humour. She does have a tendency to burst into a fit of the giggles for no apparent reason although this may be because I make her laugh without realising it aka extracting the Michael...

It was left to 10-year-old Ava to display the unconditional love which used to be a trademark of her older sister and brother by saying 'Happy birthday to the best Papa on Earth - miss you loads'. This brought a wee tear to my glass eye and underlined how much I miss them all, not having seen them since early November. I like to think Jack and Hannah share their wee sister's sentiments but they are now at the age when showing affection to one's elderly relatives may be deemed distinctly 'uncool'...

It was left to their mother to send me the above collage of my children and grandchildren which cleverly includes a headshot of my father who passed away in 1997. He would have been immensely proud of them all and I like to think he is looking down on all of us. It's a tragedy he never lived to see any of his great-grandchildren but he loved his granddaughters and I know Laura and Michaela still think of him. As I do every day.

Jack, Ava and Laura all have their own birthdays in May (that month costs me a bloody fortune) and I will see them then to join the celebrations - no matter what Scotland's First Minister says at that time. Covid cases in Scotland are falling as are hospital and ICU admissions whilst vaccines are rising in their thousands every day. 

We need hope that we will be able to see our loved ones again very soon. Even rapidly ageing old gits like me...

Float On, Baby

 

Cancer - and my name is Larry.....Mmm... take my hand

Come with me, baby, to Love Land

Let me show you how sweet it could be 

Sharing loving with me

On Valentines Day, the present Mrs Smith and I celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary. I say celebrated but we were stuck in the house thanks to lockdown meaning most places are closed. Flicking through the interminable number of trash tv channels, we stumbled across Now 70s which was dedicated to cheesy love songs, many of which I've tried to forget for the last 45-50 years.

One such song was Float On by, er, The Floaters. Part of the lyrics of this cheesefest are above. No, please, don't leave yet, I haven't finished. Being an old romantic - well, old anyway - I dedicated this song to my beloved but personalised the lyrics.

Pisces - and my name is Mikey....Mmm... take my hand (but mind my arthritis) 

Come with me, baby, to Pound Land

Let me show you how sweet it could be - just take your purse with you baby

Who said romance was dead?

                                                               

                                 

We'll Meet Again

Lockdown means I ain't half missing these little blighters....

 

The Other Side of the Covid Coin

 

               Image from Daibhidh Stevenson's Facebook post

We keep hearing from politicians that there is hope in the fight against Covid-19. With vaccinations starting to be given and this process set to accelerate as 2021 begins,  they may be right (although there are few politicians I really trust)

But what about the other side of the Covid coin? Lockdown has impacted on society in a way I feel those same politicians don't want us to know - or won't allow us to know. 

So when the figures are published on a near daily basis on the number of positive Covid cases and the number of deaths perhaps someone in authority could also publish the number of people dying from impact of lockdown. 

But, if you'll pardon the phrase, I won't hold my breath...

Time To Go, 2020

At least grandson Daniel seems oblivious to the carnage 2020 has brought 

So farewell, 2020. No one needs me to tell them it's been a hellish year - unless you're a manufacturer of hand gel in which case you're rubbing your hands...

It's been a year of:

• Covid-19
• Lockdown
• Hearts unfair demotion
• Lockdown
• Fractured family relations
• Lockdown
• Elderly relative's much-awaited operation
• Nae live fitba
• Lockdown
• The sad demise of Tim Brooke-Taylor (just weeks after I saw him perform at Edinburgh's Festival Theatre)

On the plus side:

• Repairing of fractured family relations (albeit a slow work in progress)
• Hearts reached the Scottish Cup final - which they should have won
• Grandchildren Jack and Hannah both receiving Gold Merit Awards at school
• This blog being listed in Feedspot's Top 35 Edinburgh blogs (and, before you ask, there are more than 35 of them...)
• Er...
• That's it.

A very happy new year to everyone, particularly to those who read this blog. It may begin in a similar vein but surely 2021 can't be as bad as 2020?

A Seasonal Greet

 

I wish everyone the world over a happy Christmas - well, as happy as you can make it - and fervently hope 2021 is better than 2020. Sadly, the new year looks like starting the way the old one ended.

Stay safe everyone.

Open the Door and Let Us In

I was at a supermarket last Saturday, one of the major ones who have a large store in Meadowbank. With my face mask adorning my well-worn looks, I wandered in, used the hand sanitiser at the entrance, picked up a shopping basket and strolled in. There were numerous signs about keeping social distance and regular tannoy announcements pertaining to this. I got my shopping, queued at the checkout in an orderly fashion, paid for my goods with my bank card and exited left. No hassle, no problem and everyone adhered to the Scottish government’s guidance about Covid-19.

I was just one of hundreds of people to do this on that very day. I didn’t feel my safety was compromised, didn’t feel the need to rush out of the store in a panic. Few people have any issues with such a practice even though one is indoors (where, apparently, the virus is most likely to spread). I have done this every week since lockdown changed society, perhaps forever, seven months ago.

So what, I hear you ask dear reader, is my point? My considerable bone of contention, possibly shared by many others, is why can’t I go to see a lower league football game on a Saturday afternoon? I want to visit Ainslie Park to see Edinburgh City play in the flesh once more. But football fans in Scotland are prevented from doing so as things stand at present.

Without getting too political may I add that I believe the Scottish government is doing everything it can to try and contain the virus and has shown better leadership than other parts of the United Kingdom. Yet, I feel there are inconsistencies that need to be addressed amid the very real danger that, with little income, some of Scotland’s smaller football clubs could face closure.

I understand why clubs in the Scottish Premiership and some in the Championship – Hearts being the obvious example of the second tier – aren’t being allowed to let their larger fan base into their stadia. A few weeks ago, Aberdeen and Ross County conducted a trial where 300 fans were permitted to both club’s home games. By all accounts both trials were a success with fans socially distant and adhering to the special measures put in place to enable such a small crowd to gain admittance. However, with the number of Covid cases rising as a second wave threatened the country, the Scottish government wouldn’t entertain the prospect of further trials, despite the success of those in Aberdeen and Dingwall. The prospect of thousands of people congregated inside a football stadium just isn’t one being contemplated by the Scottish government right now.

That said, there seems to me to be a one size fits all approach to Scottish football which, if I’m being frank, is a nonsense. Cowdenbeath were the visitors to Ainslie Park on Saturday, a game which would probably attract around 350 paying spectators. Given the size of Ainslie Park are the authorities really saying there would be a serious health risk if supporters were allowed into the ground to see the game? With appropriate social distancing in place we might not all get a seat in the stand but there is plenty space behind the goals and on the terracing across from the stand to accommodate everyone safely.

True, there would be no catering and the opportunity to taste a delicious Baynes pie would be sadly absent (the best pies in Scotland in my view – c’mon that’s got to be worth a free sample…) And one would have to forego a hot drink on a chilly October afternoon although admittedly this might help to control an orderly queue to gain entry to the toilets. With hand sanitiser available as soon as you come through the turnstiles and strategically placed around the ground, and the wearing of face masks required it’s arguably the case that one might feel safer in the open air at Ainslie Park than in the confined space of the supermarket along the road.

So, here’s a plea to the Scottish government. Every day you update the country with the number of Covid-19 cases and, tragically, the number of deaths. Focus is on the pandemic and understandably so. But if you focus on one disease, the impact of other illnesses increases but doesn’t attract the same headlines. How many people are dying because of heart disease, cancer and mental health issues that might have been addressed if there had been no pandemic?

Football is a vital part of many people’s wellbeing. A Saturday afternoon can bring some much-needed relief to many during extremely difficult times. Going to the football is a vital component of wellbeing and people’s mental health has never been more challenged than it is now.

So, how about it, First Minister, and the Scottish government health advisers? Let the fans in the lower leagues back into grounds. They would be far safer there than nipping round to a pal’s house to watch a live stream on a small computer.

Even if you feel the need to limit the numbers to, say, 300 per game, it would be a start.  2020 has been a hellish year for everyone. All we are asking is to let fans of lower league clubs back in to watch the game we love. And help the financial plight of Scottish football’s smaller clubs  – before it’s too late…

 

Family Matters

 

This wee man, grandchild number five aka Daniel, turns two years old today. Of the five horrors delightful children he is the only one now who gets slightly upset when I leave for home. The others used to but now merely grunt when I offer my farewells. 

Daniel is presently going through the 'terrible two' phase of his life and is driving his mother even more demented than she usually is. The day after Daniel was born I recall visiting him and his mother tossing her son, barely 24 hours old, to me with the words 'here - take grumpy pus'. He still gets grumpy now, as you may surmise from the photo above, but he does bring a shaft of light in a life full of darkness right now.

Daniel may only be two but has, on several occasions, grabbed hold of his sister's phone, pressed the WhatsApp icon, scrolled down the contacts, spotted my picture and pressed it meaning an instant phone call. While it's usually a delight to hear him babble away it can prove problematic, particularly when I'm working...

When I visited daughter Laura on Sunday the eldest of my grandchildren, Jack aka number one, arrived home from his football match. He scored in a 6-2 win for his youth club. He is a little over six months away from his 16th birthday so if any senior club wishes to offer him the chance to prove what he can do let me know.

He did engage in conversation about how he was doing at high school. He told me he passed his recent English exam with a 90% pass mark and offered the reason he 'only got 90%' was because he wasn't particularly impressed with his teacher. Jack then told me he got a 96% pass mark in mathematics - clearly a skill he hasn't inherited from his old Papa as I was booted out of my maths class at secondary school in Aberdeen in 1976 after recording 96%. Sorry, I stand corrected - it was 9.6%...

I have never understood mathematics - all that letters plus other letters and letters squared equals nonsense - but I'm pleased to say Jack takes to it like a duck to water.  He showed me his notes from school but they might as well have been in Chinese for all I could understand.

I did offer my services if he ever needed any help with his schoolwork but Jack merely smiled politely and offered 'thanks' in a tone that implied 'I hope I'm never that desperate'.

Children - toddlers and adolescents - are far too smart these days...

Away up in Gorgie...

 

Waiting patiently on Gorgie Road awaiting the arrival of grandson Jack off the bus from Dalkeith.

Heading along a thronging Gorgie Road, breathing in the air of expectancy, nodding glances to familiar faces of those bedecked in maroon.

Queuing to get into Tynecastle, squeezing past the yellow vested steward checking someone’s bag.

Offering your smart card season ticket to the turnstile operator who may – or may not – offer a cheery ‘enjoy the game’ Which may – or may not – invoke a retort of ‘You’re kidding aren’t you? It’s Herts we’re seeing. (Memories here of Rab C Nesbitt’s pal Jamsie Cotter’s remark at Italia ’90 World Cup finals – ‘we’re no’ here tae enjoy wursel – we’re here tae see Scotland!)

Climbing up the steel steps to the Wheatfield Stand – I’m sure these are getting steeper every week…

‘Dae ye want a pie, son?’ ‘Aye, okay, a mince one.’

Always needing to ‘pay a visit’ before taking your seat; I’ll not last until half-time and I’m not going then…(it’s an age thing)

Surveying the players warming up on the hallowed Tynecastle turf. Hearing the team news – where’s Naismith, is he injured again?

Seeing the referee and his assistants doing their warm up. Bloody hell, it’s no’ him is it? We’ve got no chance the day.

Hearing the distinctive tones of the maestro that is Scott Wilson over the speaker system.

The teams disappearing up the tunnel then remerging moments before kick-off. 

‘Whoever you’ve come to support, get right behind your team’ bellows the great man.

When Hearts score, hugging people nearby – even though you don’t know their name.

When Hearts win - admittedly, not often last season – applauding the players off the field at the game’s end and joining the queue to shuffle out the stadium to the sound of What a Beautiful Day by The Levellers.

See you next time, then? All is right with the world.

How I miss these days…

Behind the mask - the impact of COVD-19 on mental health

The impact of COVID-19 on the world is incalculable. Hundreds of thousands of deaths, families devastated, and lives changed forever. The pandemic has changed the world for most of us.

Behind the front line of people dying there is another huge concern for all of us. That of mental health.

As a hypnotherapist my profession is to help people change their unwanted habits. For nearly six months people in Scotland, as throughout the rest of the world, have had their habits changed but not through choice. The impact of this is now becoming apparent as lockdown in Scotland begins to ease albeit slowly.

Before lockdown, a trip to the shops was one of life’s mundane tasks but required little thought. If you go to the shops by public transport you are required to wear a face covering and ensure you’re socially distant from fellow passengers. At the shop you need to continue to wear a face covering, in some cases join a queue, and keep at least six feet away from others. You’re wary about touching goods on display. How many other people have touched that tin of corned beef? Have they washed their hands before doing so? You want to check the use-by date but realise you’ll need to handle the tin to do so.

You concentrate on keeping six feet away from others and you try to second guess others’ movements as they come into view with a trolley laden with items. Usually this works but there’s always at least one numpty who leaps out from nowhere blocking your path, or who doesn’t have the patience to wait while you’ve checked the ingredients of a tin of chicken korma and is up your backside with a cursory ‘excuse me’. In your mind you’re thinking ‘keep your distance you moron’ but the word ‘sorry’ comes out of your mouth – quite unnecessarily.

Today Mrs Smith and I were at the Fort Kinnaird shopping complex in Edinburgh. It was the middle of a Sunday morning, so it wasn’t overly busy and most people there were wearing face coverings. But anxiety hung around like an unwanted intruder. We went to a restaurant for brunch and, in fairness, the staff there were doing everything possible to follow the Scottish government’s guidance – only every second table was available for customers, a cleaner was scrupulously cleaning those tables and chairs not occupied and the toilets were plastered with detailed instructions (this cubicle is not in use; use the foot pedal to open this door, don’t push it; NOW WASH YOUR HANDS; and use the hand sanitiser on the way back to your table for extra protection) All very sensible and it’s reassuring to know these measures are in place.

But it doesn’t make for a particularly pleasurable experience. And, if you’ll excuse the pun, there’s the rub.

Mrs Smith loves going to the shops and can spend all day doing so. Not anymore. A visit to the shops and going for a bite to eat now has a layer of uncertainty, a feeling of not being entirely comfortable. It’s fair to say we couldn’t wait until we got back home. We didn’t feel unsafe – but we felt safer inside our house. That’s what nearly six months of lockdown has done to us.

While statistically it’s the elderly who are more at risk from COVID-19 the impact on youngsters is considerable too. Many teenagers are no longer carefree. My own teenage grandson just wasn’t himself when I saw him last weekend. He was quiet and reserved and preferred to sit in his bedroom rather than kicking a ball about in the garden with his admittedly overweight and unfit Papa. He is about to enter fourth year at secondary school, arguably the most important of all the years at school. His schoolwork was badly disrupted due to the pandemic with schools closed and, in Scotland, only due to reopen the week after next. He has missed his pals, the social interaction and even the teachers. No amount of Zoom sessions can replace that.

It’s the same for everyone, of course. But even if a vaccine is found and, a year from now, we’re heading back to the way things used to be, the impact COVID-19 has had on our mental health may be a legacy few of us want.

 

 

 

Boris Heads to Scotland

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson visits Scotland today. I hope he is able to use Google Maps. The reason for his visit? Support for an independent Scotland is growing.

Johnson's buffoonery is in stark contrast to the leadership shown by Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, particularly during the COVID-19 crisis.

The cartoon in today's edition of The Times speaks volumes...

The Eeriness of Rose Street

Edinburgh's Rose Street, just after 11.00am on Sunday. Usually this place would be bustling with shoppers, diners, tourists et al. I am reliably informed there are a couple of bookies there along with the odd pub or two...Instead, it looked an eerie place, symbolic of a lockdown that has now gone on for more than three months.

Tomorrow, in Scotland, roadside shops re-open, subject to appropriate social distancing measures being in place. Indeed, on adjacent Princes Street, many stores had staff working today preparing for re-opening tomorrow and several shops had two metre distancing signs marked on the pavement outside.

Tomorrow will mark another step towards something approaching normality in Scotland. Today, in central Edinburgh at least, it was the calm before the storm.

The Confession

quotoesgram.com 

In 1965, an elderly Italian man who lived on the outskirts of Rimini, Italy, went to the local church for confession. When the priest slid open the panel in the confessional, the man began:

"Father .. During World War II, a beautiful Jewish woman from our neighbourhood knocked urgently on my door and asked me to hide her from the Nazis. So I hid her in my attic."

The priest replied: "That was a wonderful thing you did, and you have no need to confess that."

"But there is more to tell, father... She started to repay me with sexual favours. This happened several times a week, and sometimes twice on Sundays.'

The priest said, "That was a long time ago and by doing what you did, you placed the two of you in great danger, but two people under those circumstances can easily succumb to the weakness of the flesh. However, if you are truly sorry for your actions, you are indeed forgiven."

"Thank you, father. That's a great load off my mind. I do have one more question."

"And what is that?" asked the priest.




















"Should I tell her the war is over......?"

Text Speak

No money was given to Hannah during the taking of this photograph. Well, perhaps just a small sum...

I saw something on t'internet today about an animation course open to children aged 13-18 in Scotland and thought this would be right up grand-daughter Hannah's street. She is fast approaching those dreaded teenage years. I sent her the link and, unusually for the elder two of my grandchildren, she replied within minutes.

'I saw this and thought of you' I said in my message, trying to be a dutiful Papa.

'That's what I'm doing in art rn' Hannah replied.

Art RN? I pondered for some time about what this was. Is this what they call art and design at school these days? Eventually the penny dropped, admittedly from a long height.

RN is text speak for 'right now'.

I have a horrible feeling that, before long, having communication with Jack and Hannah may need the help of an interpreter.