A Woman, Aye?

I'd booked the 6.50am train, reserved a seat and everything. But it was Saturday, which is give yourself a wee break day, so I made an executive decision to catch the 8.30am choo choo instead. A day without my phone! The horror! I realised I'd left it behind no sooner had I turned onto the main road from the house but there was no time for a u-turn, I had minutes to spare for the train. A day without a phone is good for you I told myself. But then the laptop wouldn't work either, so no catch up on work, no surfing, just reading some dull thing and dreaming through the window. Scotrail Tea and kitkat as we hit the Mearns. Obviously. It's mandatory.

Edinburgh was waiting for me at its brightest, sunniest blue sky best. A wee detour on route to a dress shop I like in Cockburn street and so I could have flashbacks to Armstrongs. Purchase duly made. I'll need to diet though (starting on some neverland Monday. A woman, aye?).

Travelled down the Royal Mile to the Parliament Building, to finally actually see inside it. The protestors were out just to give me the full on parliament experience. Unlike Wimbledon, I wasn't given the pat down body search, so things were looking up.

What a bloody brilliant building. I like it. A lot. After a wee wait in the foyer (mentally noting the shop location for later, a woman, aye?) I was escorted through to the garden restaurant where it was heavin' with wifies of all shapes and sizes, colours and clothes, ages and hairdos, the confident to the quiet, the famous to the everyday. I found a wee quiet corner to check out the goodie bag, the agenda papers and of course, eat the very nice sandwiches. Two ladies joined me at the table, none other than Ruth Wishart and Mirriam O'Reilly. They started to have a right good catch up about mysogyny at the BBC. I felt I was eavesdropping. But who wouldn't?!!

Nicola Sturgeon was her usual pitch perfect self (am I turning into a stalker?!), she makes it look so easy when it must be so very hard. Then a 17 year old lassie addressed the 300 women in the chamber and talked about her local community group working against domestic violence. 17!! What will she be achieving when she's 27?! Then a horrendous personal account of a forced marriage from a very brave lady. Who from being trapped in Pakistan is now in Scotland remarried and with two degrees under her belt. Miriam then took the stage to give the inside track on her infamous Countryfile court victory against the BBC while the wee dynamo that is Ruth Wishart brought the house down at the end. The Scottish Women's Convention International Women's Day Annual Event was done. First time i'd been. Cheeky mare, I'm not even a member of the SWC.

A long, long, long delayed train journey home, squeezed In a very busy train and all the while half snoozing, half nursing the Scottish Parliament chocolates and clootie dumpling I'd got for Mother's Day for Ma Sinclair. And occasionally giving the answer to a random question a family I was squeezed in beside were asking each other. Change of train at Aberdeen, then a walk to a cold car, then a drive home very late to a much needed bed.

I maybe will let myself go gallivanting alone again sometime. And I didn't miss the phone one little bit......apart from not being able to take a photo of that bloody brilliant building for blip.