A Scottish Heatwave to brighten a Typical Week’s Activities

LIFE: May 1st - 7th 2018

I have been all awry with my days this week, given  we travelled back from Perth on the Monday, so Tuesday seemed like a Monday, catching up with  house tasks etc.

Tuesday May 1st

Auld Earlston Meeting - the AGM the quickest ever, with everyone willing to stand again and no issues arising.  We confirmed details of the October Exhibition on the theme of “Earlston in War and Peace: 1914-1949” plus the  Slide Show where we will show old  cine film on the village taken  in the 30’s and 40’s - it should make an interesting two days and include material we have not shown  before.

 A Children's WWI Certificate issued to schoolchildren  

who had contributed to fund raising for the war effort.

 Wednesday May 2nd

Musical entertainment at the Wednesday Club  with Border Folk  - a group of accordion, concertina, mandolin and guitar - playing Scottish and Northumberland jigs, reels and songs.  Very enjoyable.   It is ages since I heard “Bobby Shaftoe”, “The Keel Row” and Blow the Wind Southerly”. 

It took me way back to my primary school days when once a week all classes gathered to sit on the floor in the hall to sing folk songs and patriotic songs.  My favourites the stirring Welsh “Men of Harlech” and then “Scotland the Brave”- never knowing that ten years later I would be living in Scotland!  We especially liked sea shanties and enjoyed swaying side to side as we  sang “ What Shall we Do with the Drunken Sailor”.   I doubt if children these days get to learn many of these.  At least in Scotland our granddaughter has learned at school  "Scotland the Brave", "Flower of Scotland" and "Highland Cathedral".

Thursday May 3rd
A lovely day which meant gardening. A short Mill Meadow walk, then home to cut the grass, do the edges and weed the flower beds - the result I was exhausted!  Still the garden looks much better and is colourful with the daffodils, camelias and Heather in full bloom.

    

Watched the latest Mary Berry cookery programme to find Britain’s Best Home Cook, that the BBC has been heavily promoting. I will reserve judgement on it as it seems to be cobbled from elements of “Bake Off”, “Masterchef” and “The Apprentice”.  Still way beyond my cooking talents as the contestants had to make a hamburger dish, a dish where nuts were the main ingredient and cook asparagus with a poached egg in hollandaise sauce.

Friday May 4th

A lazy day, after yesterday's gardening took  its toll.  Could not even be bothered to go on the computer.  Relaxed  in our little sun room, or out in the garden,  reading my library book and crocheting some squares for KAS (Knit-A-Square) charity.  Seems crazy working with wool on such a nice day, but I enjoy combining the colours and crocheting a square is much quicker than knitting one.

Saturday May 5th
The promised heatwave  for  this weekend has arrived!  Went out with my camera for a short walk along the river and Mill Meadow. Posted the results on the Bonny Border Views Facebook page that G. and I are enjoying, 

In the evening we watched a new DVD of Gilbert & Sullivan's "The Sorcerer" - one of their earliest operettas that is rarely performed, but great fun.  But I knew I would have going through my head all night the patter song"My name is John Wellington Wells, I'm a dealer in magic and spells". 

Sunday May 6th
A major sort out was  on the agenda for the day, given the dry forecast.  G. came round  to go through all her stuff stored in our garage, which meant carrying boxes onto onto the lawn, and then getting it back in better order. I kept her company by doing the same for the garden shed.  A good job done!   Then relaxed in the garden.  Very hot by our standards - it must at least  be around  70F/22C.

Monday 7th May

May Bank Holiday and another hot day. I weeded around the shrubs in the front garden and then called a halt to activity.  So a relaxing time in the garden and minimal time spent on meals.  It is all due to change tomorrow! 

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Blogging Boom
I still managed to write three articles, though two of them were adapted from earlier posts.

• The prompt for "52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks" was "Close Ups", so I contributed the profile on Edward Stewart Ingram Smith (my cousin's grandfather).  The many close up photographic portraits of him trace his life as  an artistic  looking young man to  a man broken by his world war one experiences - a poignant tale.
   
• The Sepia Saturday prompt photograph was of a 1920's happy seaside scene  - I had an ideal match, plus featured my own memories of a typical 1950's beach family holiday  a music hall song to set the scene - " I Do Like to be Beside the Seaside"
  
  
• Plus of course  - the previous week's Journal Jottings update. Frazzle, Frustration plus some Fun & a McGonagall Poem  

 Antiques Roadshow Catch Up 
It was way back in July 2017 when G. Nh and  and I had a great day at  BBC's Antiques Roadshow filming at Floors Castle, Kelso - and the programme has only just been broadcast.  We didn't appear, but it was a good episode with some interesting finds,  and a lovely advertisement for Floors.  

 

 Joining the long queue! 

With my granddaughter meeting the military expert with my collection of World War One memorabilia from my mother's family. 

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Journal Jottings   
Recording my everyday life for future family historians  

Developed from the "Genea-Pourri" prompt  on Randy Seaver’s blog Genea-Musings

I decided to change his title for my own version of this weekly online diary