A DAY ON THE BUSES

To Rutherglen with the car today to get a tow bar fitted. Bussed into the Merchant City to meet the outstanding Michelle. I was planning to commission her to do the graphic design for a new booklet. I bought her a cup of coffee. She asked me what I wanted done, so I whipped out my ipad and showed her a mock up. She took a cool professional look at it and told me I would be wasting money as I could do the job really well by myself. No plumber has ever told me that. I see my next career developing.

I have always liked design, but have long been intimidated by my two arty brothers and my miserable failure at art when at school. To be fair, my brothers never meant to intimidate me, they just drew with such apparent ease that I could not be bothered to learn, so it was really my laziness. As if that wasn't enough, the graphic design departments in my last place of employment told me just type text and leave the rest to the experts. Huh.

I'm not often on the buses, so I enjoyed my trips today. Bus journeys are excellent for people watching and eavesdropping. I didn't have the courage to photograph my fellow passengers, which is a shame because they were a pretty interesting bunch. The conversations on a Glasgow bus are the best part of travel.

'Did you see her?'
'Aye'
'Whit's she like?'
'Aye'
'Ye could see her knickers, for gawd's sake'
'Aye'
'Is that all you can say - aye? Whit're ye like?'
'Well, ' triumpantly' Ye cannae see ma knickers.'

Or

Ye've got a hat on'
'It keeps the wind oot'
'Ah cannae wear a hat, me. I look pure boogin'
'Ah only wear this to keep ma heid warm'
It's no many people can wear a hat and no look daft.'
'Are you saying ah look daft?'
'Naw!'
'Aye, well'
'Ah wis only saying'
'Aye, well.'

Just home and stretched out on the sofa for a snooze when one of the arty brothers dropped by on his way out winching to dinner with a friend. He's sleeping over so we gave him a key so he could creep in after we had gone to bed at a respectable hour. Some times I feel like a parent of a teenager all over again.