What A Gay Day

Today we had the Gay Pride parade in Edinburgh, and I persuaded his Lordship against his better judgement to walk into town and see if there was a possibility of a blip for my journal.

East Market Street was a sea of coloured balloons, banners and strangely dressed people. There was a general air of good cheer and acceptance of other people's life styles.

It reminded me of the day about nine years ago when we, along with our American hosts, ran the Bay to Breakers race (San Francisco Bay to the Ocean) which went through the middle of the Haight- Ashbury district of San Francisco, the cradle of hippy flower power and bohemian living in the 60's.
We sheltered and somewhat innocent Scots were amazed then to see such outré behaviour, which at that time was alien to douce presbyterian Scotland.

But now we are getting there, and while I loved the colour and good spirits of the assembled gathering today as they gathered before the march, his Lordship got rather tetchy.
He is old enough to have been raised in a different age of tolerance and equality and doesn't feel comfortable with anything less than alpha masculinity.

I have tried, believe me I have tried, to change his perspective, but alas the gentleman is not for turning. I feel it is his loss. Tolerance and acceptance is the name of the game.