Month: March 2025

A day in the garden – 9 March 2025

Posted on by Zogman

A dull, misty start to a day that was supposed to have sunshine from Morning to Night. It did eventually get itself in gear and let the sun shine in.

Scamp was busy today in the garden and I was enlisted to prune the Schoolgirl rose at the front door and also to cut back Alec’s Red the rose that has grown in almost every house we’ve lived in. Scamp is wary of pruning it for fear of going too far. To be honest, so am I. It’s a very elderly rose now and the flowers are great heavy blooms, but every spring I tend to err on the side of safety and although I know it will be better for the plant if I cut it back severely, I’m always wary. So it was today, although it did get a good haircut.

Scamp spent a lot of time, teasing out weeds from her array of plant pots, while all the time looking for fresh growth from the perennial plants. She did find a few, then she brought her garden table into the kitchen and did some potting up of a collection of some little plug plants. Tiny little things in conical tubes about the same diameter as a 10p. They seem to be making good growth. Finally I lifted my latest bargain, an orchid in a glass jar. It was looking a bit sorry for itself and I soon saw why. Although it looked very pretty, and I’d been watering it once every two weeks, the actual plant was in a tiny little plastic tub and was as dry as a bone. It’s now been watered properly and I’ve removed all the damp compost and allowed it to dry out a bit. I might remove the plant from its plastic prison and allow it spread its roots into the compost.

By the time we had both completed our tasks for the day, Scamp decided it was coffee time and I reckoned it was time to go for a walk over to St Mo’s. Thought I saw the white tail of a deer when I was over in the woods, but it disappeared too quickly for me to be sure. I did see a host of frogs, or were they toads? I’m never sure about them, and it was one of those shots that made PoD.

Spoke to Jamie and gave him a better explanation of the last week, now that the fog of confusion is lifting. Heard about his latest purchase, an Apple iPhone 16 no less. He seems to be happier with it than I am at present. I hope he gets good use from it.

Tomorrow we’re hoping to see the money man in Falkirk.

Good Friends – 8 March 2025

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Crawford & Nancy came visiting today.

Just after the early hour of 10.15am! We’re not used to such early rises, but they did bring cakes!

They were doing what all good friends do, they were showing support. We sat and talked about June, Paul, Shona and Ian. We listened to the antics of their grandkids and made all the right noises. We complained about all our aches and pains and what we could do about them. It was a strange morning, but a welcome one too. Living life in the ’New Normal’. Later in the morning we got a message from Hazy. Asking after Scamp and just making contact. It really is good to have the support of family and friends. Sometimes we just take them for granted and we shouldn’t.

We are still in the Shoe Hunt, so in the afternoon we drove in to Stirling for a change of scenery and also to see if any of the shoe would fit the dainty feet of the princess. They didn’t. We went back to Waitrose where we’d parked and took a basket rather than a trolley. It seemed a logical way to get the shopping we needed without getting too much. It worked, except we still got more than we’d intended and I felt my arms were getting longer with every jar or bottle we put in the basket!

PoD was a photo of a ‘Ghost Sign’ we saw in Stirling. A ghost sign is usually an advertising sign above a shop or building that has been badly damaged by wind and weather. We saw this one over a shop in Stirling. When did you last see a three digit phone number?

We drove home and received an email from Paul with more information about the funeral. We agreed to meet him at his house. He had done a fair bit of work during the week. So far:

  • We now have a date and time to meet the Celebrant.
  • We have the codes for the streaming of the funeral.
  • There have been a lot of problems with getting the death certificate as I outlined a couple of days ago, but it should be in Paul’s hands on Monday or Tuesday.
  • Scamp and Jackie have agreed a tea for after the funeral.
  • The Docherty family are providing the flowers.
  • Music for the Entrance, Reflection and Exit from Daldowie are almost complete.
  • The photos have almost all been scanned, or assembled.

All in all, we are in a better place than we were a few days ago.

No plans for tomorrow yet.

Shopping for shoes – 7 March 2025

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Scamp decided she needed new shoes.

Not the “Strappy, Cappy low shoes” that Frida Wolfe wrote about in her poem, but black shoes with a heel. Except, either the shoes weren’t high enough or they were too high or worst of all, she couldn’t find any in her size. I told her she just needed to get bigger feet, but that was met with a cold stare.

Eventually she gave up and we went for a lunch, a scone each with a weak coffee in JL. She then went looking at the dresses in JL while I perused the ‘toy shop’. That means, the pre-loved tech stuff. What other people call ‘second hand’ without finding anything I couldn’t live without.

I did find an opportunity to grab a photo or two in Buchanan Galleries. A dangerous game to play as the guards delight in telling you “You can’t take photos here.” To which I will one day reply: “Too late mate I’ve taken it and uploaded it to the World Wide Web. It will be winging its way across the Interweb as we speak and your face will be on every billboard in the world.” I didn’t, of course, but it would have been good to say “Where is the notice that says I can’t?” There are no notices.
A mono photo of a wee man sitting in the hall became PoD. His head and his hat will be “winging its way …” you get the gist!

I took some photos of crocuses in the garden, but the wee man won the day.

That was about it for today. It almost felt like a ’normal’ day for a while.

Tomorrow we are expecting visitors in the morning.

A walk in the park – 6 March 2025

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We woke to a misty, almost foggy day.

Jackie was travelling up to Skye on the morning bus. We waved her off as she got in the taxi that would take her to Glasgow on the first leg of the journey. The second leg was a six or seven hour journey on the bus from Glasgow to Portree on Skye where Murdo would be waiting to take her on the last leg to Staffin. A few days later she was intending to do the whole thing again in reverse to return to Cumbersheugh.

With a morning and part of an afternoon to fill, I was pleasantly surprised when Scamp suggested we go over to Kilsyth for a walk in the sunshine that had appeared just as Jackie was getting in the taxi. We drove over to Colzium estate and that’s where I saw a single white crocus flower among the miniature daffodils. Just one, though, but it was shining brightly in the sun. That became PoD. We walked our usual path round what had been the driveway to the “Big House”, and then onward into the trees. This was the first time we’d walked in Colzium and there were a lot of torn up trees courtesy of the storms last month, or was it two? Anyway, a shorter than normal circuit took us to the coffee shop that, conveniently, was just opening. After coffee we walked back to the car and drove home.

Just enough time for a quick spot of lunch and then we had to get a bit better dressed for a meeting with the Co-op funeral office where we had a meeting with a funeral director. Paul, Margaret, Shona, Scamp and I were present at a rather disjointed meeting where it appeared the lady who was dealing with us had to also speak to a constant stream of other customers. Not the most professional way to treat people who are already stressed and upset. However, I was not running this show and had little to do, but on two separate occasions we had a thirty minute hiatus while someone somewhere talked to someone else.

The upshot was that a firm date for the funeral was agreed and all the papers were duly signed by Paul who was the senior member of the family today. We left after about two hours and went for a quick coffee and a discussion with tasks being allocated to willing parties.

Drove home and dropped people off as we went. Finally got home and parked. Dinner was Paella and it was a good one this time. It isn’t always so good.

Tomorrow we’re hoping for a more restful day.

A meeting of minds – 5 March 2025

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We met the interested parties in Tesco for coffee today.

We were discussing the plans for June’s funeral. Margaret phoned Scamp to ask where we were, because they were waiting in Costa. Then Scamp reminded her that she had told us it was to be at Tesco. That maybe ‘put her gas at a peep’ as my mum would have said. Scamp, Jackie and I had been prepared for a fight, but as a result, it never happened.

The group was Ian, Jackie, Margaret, Paul, Scamp, Shona and myself (listed alphabetically for fairness!). Everyone offered suggestions to the group with Paul and Shona as adjudicators.

The upshot of the meeting was that:

  • We had some photos of June to use in a short display
  • Paul wants to do a short ad hoc speech about his mum
  • Jackie would probably write a talk and if she wasn’t comfortable with it, I’d be ready to take over.

We left it at that and have a meeting planned with the funeral directors tomorrow.

We drove over to The Kelpies because Jackie had never seen them in real life. It turned out to be an awful day as far as the weather was concerned. Heavy rain showers driven along on a gusty east wind. However we did get a walk around the mighty beasts and I think that brightened Scamp’s day. The size of the sculptures impressed Jackie. We finished with another cuppa and a scone paid for by Jackie.

Later, at home I was delegated to go to the chip shop for fish suppers. A successful day with some of the pressure removed. Jackie goes back home tomorrow and is intending to return in a couple of days.

PoD was a slightly different view of a Kelpie,

Hopefully the weather will be better tomorrow.

Some kind of normal – 4 March 2025

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Today we had shopping to do. A chance to turn the day into something approaching normal.

Afterwards we drove up to Torwood for lunch and a look at what the garden centre had to offer. Scamp got some seed compost and a very dark coloured hellebore. After I’d dropped her off at home, I took the Blue car for a spring clean at the car-wash! It looked so much better after that.

I went for a walk in St Mo’s and found that the frogs were back. Almost all of them were busy making more frogs. Yesterday there were none, but seemingly the message had got out that it was time to procreate. There were vast rafts of frogspawn. I’m sure this will bring crowds of primary school children eager to capture some of the frogspawn to put in jars in their classrooms. Probably there will be a law against capturing frogs eggs, but children know nothing of the legality of such ambushing.

Today’s PoD was inevitably “Frogs”!

We drove in to Glasgow in the middle of rush hour to pick up Jackie who had travelled south from Skye to add weight to the Scottish contingent. We were very glad to have her. It gave Scamp an opportunity to explain in detail the last few days. It also gave the sisters a chance to bond. I hate that ‘bond’ word, but it’s the only one that fits

Tomorrow we are invited to have coffee in Tesco with one of the English side of the family who may try to put her case for what happens next. I’d have thought a better, and less public place could have been chosen, but maybe, just maybe, it was the choice of Paul and Shona.

June – 2 March 2025

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Today we lost a great friend. June Docherty.

  • Normal Sunday morning.
  • Coming down from the trip to Dundee and from a difficult dance class.
  • Standard fried Sunday breakfast.
  • A walk over to and through St Mo’s

Then, about 4pm, a phone call from Shona to say that her mum wasn’t going to be with us for much longer. We drove up to Shona’s house and waited until her best friend came to pick up Ben, then we drove to Monklands where I dropped off Scamp and Shona before I parked the car in a very empty looking car park.

  • Found my way through the corridors and off-shoots of Monklands.
  • Met by Scamp at the door of room 4 with the warning that she wasn’t good
  • All the family that mattered were there.
  • Paul left after we arrived and a nurse brought in a few chairs. Another bad sign.
  • June was tossing and turning, but two nurses brought in some meds, I didn’t catch the name and that calmed her down.
  • A doctor explained what was going on in June’s body and what processes they had tried to bring her back.
  • We waited while Ian talked to June although none of us knew if she heard us.
  • Around 7.30pm two nurses asked us to leave and then told us she had gone.

I find it hard writing this, but hopefully it will explain just how quickly she passed away. Hopefully, too, it will clear things in my head.

RIP June Docherty.

It feels like Spring (White Rabbits x3) – 1 March 2025

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Well, it didn’t feel like Spring when we were driving through a drizzle all the way to Brookfield for today’s dance class.

Thankfully when we came out again, the rain had gone and the sun was attempting to shine.

In between, we had a Midnight Jive to heat us up, because the Brookfield Politburo apparently thought 3ºc was warm enough for anyone!

Sufficiently warmed up, we were into the annoying October Waltz, even though it wasn’t October. I find it the worst waltz I’ve had the misfortune to attempt. It just seems so … “Clunky” is the only word I can use. It just doesn’t seem to flow and I was happier once it had gone back into its box, until the next time one of the teachers says “Oh, we haven’t done the October Waltz for a while.” There’s a reason for that I’d say.

Next was Tango and we struggled with that for a while, but it did get better after we got help from Jane. I think I could manage that one, given some effort on my part. Scamp helped by pulling me in the right direction and whispering the instructions in my ear.

We did Mambo Marina to finish with, but two fairly new dancers were left standing in the corner of the room looking bewildered while the teachers danced with a couple of ladies who knew the dance. That doesn’t seem like a dance class to me. Just a little bit of help would have put them on the right track. We had attempted to help the pair just over a week ago when they came to a Tea Dance we go to, but the teachers really need to TEACH. That’s what they are getting nearly twenty quid for every week!

After that we were allowed to go home. To go home with half a dozen eggs from one of the dance class who seem to be bringing eggs ever week or so. It’s very nice of them, the eggs come from a neighbour of theirs, and being free range, they do taste good.

Drove home through the normal tangle of cars and I chose the slow lane today. I really should have done the M74/M73 route which is longer, but faster overall.

I took a couple of lenses with the A7iii over to St Mo’s in the afternoon, once the sun was shining brightly and got a couple of photos. PoD went to a cloudscape with the setting sun just visible. I came home via Golden Bowl with Chicken Chop Suey and Fried Rice for Scamp and a Special Chow Mein for me. Nice to be walking home in the last of the day’s sun.

I almost forgot to mention, we thought the house was being torn apart in the morning or maybe broken into, but it was just the NLC house clearing mob tearing out everything they could find from the house next door. It seemed that Angela, who lived there after Betty (if you pair remember her) had done a ’moonlight’ without telling anyone. Strange woman. Now we wonder who we’ll get in her place.

Tomorrow we may go for a walk if the weather plays nice.