Gusts

Had a good sleep and we started the day with toast and marmalade then headed down to town. Very threatening dark clouds but it ended up not raining but oh my the wind! There were really strong gusts that threw us around a bit and had chairs at cafes and bins on the street skidding about and threatening to be more dangerous,
We were aiming for the Contemporaries exhibition of recent graduates’ work at the gallery on the Mound but ended up getting absorbed in jewellery shopping for H’s birthday….its much harder to buy star shaped/inspired jewellery than you’d think. Seems to be plenty at the budget end but I wanted something better for her special (40th) birthday and it was nigh on impossible to find anything! We did manage to get tea and coffee in various of the places we went though, which was nice (especially the one that also gave us a Tunnock’s caramel wafer too)!
We eventually found something that might work and I am getting it delivered to the shop for us to decide on later when Mt is up here with the kids next week.
Finally made it to the exhibition….it was a bit wild and wacky as you’d expect, and the labels explaining the works were possibly even wilder and wackier, but we did like a few pieces.
By then we were getting tired of battling with the wind and feeling like it was time to eat so we came back up towards home and had (more than!) our fill of dumplings and bao buns before going to the Traverse to see a play called This is Memorial Device. It was a clever creation of the story of a fictional band from the 1980s in Airdrie, and it conjured what was apparently (we later found out when we bumped into R&J who had come over from Glasgow to see it and were enthused) a very accurate portrayal of the times and the music scene then.
Having taken a cab over to avoid the wind we walked back as it seemed calmer weather, but near home it was once again very blustery. Extraordinary weather recently…but at least it didn’t rain.
Had calls with all the kids today, about P and about what they’re doing this weekend, and before we went out this morning I spoke to a funeral director and arranged to go and see him on Monday…A is going to drive down with me and help sort stuff out. I’ve had lots of nice messages coming in from people today and suggestions of helpful websites on what to do now (there’s been a To Do list forming in my mind as we shopped), and it’s been lovely to have warm messages on here from so many people. It’s definitely good to know he had a quick end and that he valued being with the dog (what a coincidence there was one there, and thank goodness he wasn’t still just at home on his own but had attention in the night from the care home). Lots to be grateful for.