Another day in Paradise

This was always going to be a busy day, however it started earlier than I had anticipated, when a wee lassie climbed into bed beside me and whispered in my ear, "Granny, I want you to play puppies with me; I'll be the little baby puppy, and you can be the mummy puppy".

It was about 5am I think. After quickly and quietly explaining that puppies could not be Mummies, I tried to persuade her to go back to sleep. Varying states between sleep and wakefulness then occurred until 8am, when G had to go to work, and so the house arose.

After I dropped them back home at Burntisland, I was haring back to Perth to get to the Concert Hall for 3pm. The SNP conference was finishing today, and there was a movement afoot for a gathering outside the Concert Hall where it was being held, to thank our recent former First Minister, Alex Salmond, for all he has done for Scotland in his time in office.

I got there about 3.10pm, and met up with my brother, and we stood as it grew colder and darker, until 4.30pm while the crowd gradually swelled. A very well behaved crowd too, I must add. Quietly cheerful; none of the ebullience and jocularity of the Yes campaign crowds during the referendum, but gentle humour, concern for all our fellows, and a general air of just having come along to wish one of our own "A' the best".

Flags flew, hastily made banners and posters were hoisted and lowered, chants of "There's only one Alex Salmond, only one Alex Saaaa-mond" (to the tune of Tanamera) and "We want Eck", were eventually answered when the man himself came out at the end of the day, and made his way up the street between us, handclasping and hugging as he went.

Eat your heart out Ed and Dave. For all the accusations of arrogance and smugness, this is a man who is loved. It is with great and genuine regret we saw him hand over to Nicola Sturgeon yesterday, but the fact that he did it makes him tower above his contemporaries as a man with integrity and ideals.

And now home, feeling as if I am coming down with flu or something (likely not helped by the soaking yesterday, and two hours standing in the freezing cold today). A bit of a pain, as my sister and I are off to Inverness to do the Christmas shopping tomorrow.

Ach weel, I'm sure a wee toddy will help a bit (by which I mean of course, a glass of red wine!).