Uphill - 3.30 on a Saturday afternoon

Back blip as I just couldn't be bothered last night, which is strange as I had such a good day.

This was Saturday and a non-working day but somehow I managed to do things that linked to ...work.

It rained in the morning so after writing up 3 weeks of my paper diary (at the Dieter Roth exhibition the other day Ian told me he, DR, kept 3 diaries and I suddenly realised, so do I - 2 out of 3 of them are always up to date. 1 I have to keep doing the equivalent of back blipping. And I've just realised that with my Outlook Calendar I actually keep 4 diaries - 2 going forward, one looking back) it was off by 2, very slow, buses to the Parliament.

Today's event at the Festival of Politics was the 'Creating a Community - Cabinet of Curiosities' by staff from Aberdeen University, including King's Museum. I went because about 15 years ago #2 and 3 sons were members of the Young Archaeologists Club run by Liz and Neil Curtis and memorably spent a whole day digging up flints at the Sands of Forvie left by much earlier inhabitants. #2 son even got his picture in a publication. Neil has now recreated a Cabinet of Curiosities, an early form of museum, that they use with school pupils to help them understand about collecting and curating objects meaningful to their community. They have worked with St Peter's School in Aberdeen and on a project about Bennachie, with the Bailies, with Oyne and Keig schools. It was fascinating. Not only is the specially made cabinet a work of art in itself with 70 or so drawers and cupboards but the work they have done with the kids and the learning that has resulted was amazing. Of course Neil and Liz know Richard and the recycling of pews because he was formerly at St Machar's Cathedral and we are already doing work with Archaeology Scotland. So I left enthused with an idea that brings together all of that. Now all I need is some funding.

Next (after coffee and a slightly dry whisky slab cake in the cafe) it was off to Venue 13 in Lochend Close where the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama have been putting on work. The rest of the year venue 13 is the Harry Younger Hall of Canongate Church. I had gone to see 'The Eighth Day' a one hander about a businessman who goes bust and becomes homeless, living in a hostel. The play centres round his new life, his relationship with his daughter (on the end of a mobile) and whether or not he can keep his place in the hostel or his dog Sheba into the 9th day. It was very moving. It was sponsored by Shelter Cymru and there was a very slight involvement of Shelter Scotland. There was a chat after and another exchange of cards. More ideas. (The original plan was for the whole team (3 of us) to go last Monday but that just didn't happen.)

Then off, in another slow bus and through more rain, to the Living Room for a glass of wine courtesy of Edinburgh University and then on to the James Tait Blackawards at the Book Festival. I have to confess I had never heard of the UK's oldest literary prize before, established in 1919 and awarded by the University of Edinburgh, nor read any of the shortlisted books. The judges are postgraduate English Lit students and professors so apparently there are none of the subterfuge and shenanigans that go on at other literary judgings. The event was chaired by Sally Magnusson and the prize for biography was awarded to Fiona McCarthy for her biography of Burne-Jones and for fiction to Padgett Powell for 'You and I'. Both authors were there and read from their work. It was very interesting, and entertaining. On the way out I met Jo from GHTK and, for the first time, his wife Alison. Not quite work, but almost.

So that was it then - another busy day. 8 o'clock and no lunch or tea had. I sat, alone, in front of rubbish tv eating rubbish food. #3 son and F were out and I went to bed without seeing the last of the Tattoo fireworks, although they woke me up at midnight.

The blip is the Canongate looking up, a hill I now know well, although now the Fringe is almost over it should be slightly easier to make my way up it.

I reflect on the things I have done in the last 5 years, things I would never have done if my life had not changed in the way it did. But I still get the sense I am working very, very hard to fill the void that has been created in my life and one day I will have to slow down, have to stop, have to learn to just 'be'.