hilton hotel edinburgh airport

The weekend starts here!

Or I should say, the weekend started here.

Here being Greenbank Church.  Chosen as one of two charities that the Greenbank WAGS are supporting in 2013, this was the second event they had organised for us.  First had been a coffee morning earlier this year. I knew that this event was a quiz night but didn’t know much else.

The hall looked lovely on friday night with the summer evening sun coming in the roof windows and the tables all decorated.  The WAGS (that’s women at Greenbank by the way!) were busy doing final prep.  I love helping so I gave a hand pouring the prosecco.  And then I found out that the plan for the night was that each table brought their own food and drink.  What a variety of food there was!  A fabulous buffet with a ring of prawns, a chinese carryout, italian buffet, and a pizza medley table. (I sat with them for an hour and the pizzas looked superb). Much as I would have loved to stay I had to get home around 9pm to prep for the events over the weekend so I stayed for round one of the quiz.  Oh boy was it hard!  It was about WAGS (this time as in  wives and girlfriends) and who they are married to.  Err, my problem was who were they never mind who they might be married to!

Carrie, Chief WAG, popped into see me on Saturday with some beautiful flowers – gorgeous Sweet Williams that still look stunning in my kitchen. It was so kind of her. I hope I can go back to another of their events – they are a really interesting and lovely group of women.  And almost my neighbours.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So, now it’s Saturday morning and we are off to our Lego workshop. (and Co-Trustee Susan is off to Craigie’s Farm for first day of their Open Weekend,  trekker Aileen is off to Marks and Spencer, Princes Street, to do a day’s bagpacking with her team, trekker Fiona is off to Newtongrange Gala Day to sell home baking at her stall).  It was our busiest workshop yet and was fantastic.  The wonderful staff at the HIlton Hotel, Edinburgh Airport looked after us so well as usual. Our lovely supporters had provided most of the Lego kits and children and parents alike enjoyed putting them together.  Refreshments included a box of Krispy Kreme donuts (bought early enough in the morning by Vera to avoid the queues!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here comes a wee bit personal stuff – I had to fit in some Kili training – Ian and I had swum Saturday morning for half an hour but I wanted to do more so I walked to my next appointment – just 2 miles but it felt good.  I walked to my old school, James Gillespie’s High School.  It seems like an eternity since I was there and it kind of is – almost 40 years since I left!!!   My oldest (as in known the longest) friend was there – as well as going to secondary school together we went to primary school together.  My mum and dad came along to see round the old school.  Imagine a school only 40 or so years old being torn down.  Ridiculous.   So it is.   As I mentioned it on twitter and facebook it turns out that a fair few folk I know there had also gone to JGHS.  Such a small world.  Our Patron, Grant Stott, also went there but obviously much later than me!  I must go into the attic and see if I still have my hat.  Jings, that was one ugly hat.

 

 

Feet up saturday night to watch Britain’s Got Talent, to think that every single act had oodles of talent and courage to get onto that stage  – didn’t agree with the winner but hey that’s the way the cookie crumbles sometimes.

Sunday morning it was my turn to take my shift at Craigie’s Farm.  However if you remember it was a lovely day on Saturday – roasting hot.  I was looking forward to being outside at Craigie’s.  Ha ha.  What did I get?  Clouds, wind and chill. Well at least till lunchtime.  I was frozen!!  We were situated near the front door so actually got to chat to dozens of folk as they went into the shop cafe.  Goodness me, was that shop and cafe mobbed all day.  I don’t know how they managed.  John, Kirsteen and Anne do a tremendous job and are always so welcoming and they are so thoughtful – checking on us often to see that we were ok too. I think, I hope we recruited a fair few cyclists to our Pedal 4 Paul team and quite a number of folk showed immense interest in our family afternoon tea event at the Caledonian too.

There to help me in the morning was co-Trustee Marlyn and in the afternoon I was joined by newest trustee Donella and her daughter Tabby (still in treatment but doing great thank goodness). Later Donella’s husband Graham came along too and did a great job chatting up new potential Pedal 4 Paul cyclists.

 

 

 

 

Home by 430pm I managed another personal training walk – Ian and I decided to give the lower bits of the Pentlands a go.  We parked in Swanston village car park and walked up through the fields filled with highland cattle – who were almost tame, up behind the T woods and then up behind Hillend Ski Centre and down to the Steading for a pint.  Back along the bridle path I think to the car.  Only 3 miles but it was my first proper ‘hill’ and I was out of breath but well chuffed to manage it.  We had a moment of immense unbelievable catch your breath sadness as we were walking up a narrow path – a mountain cyclist cycled past us saying hi as he went past.  Crumbs, we both could hardly speak.  Just made us think how much Andrew liked doing just that – cycling the pentland hill paths. And now he never can again. Just awful.

Anyhow I did the walk and feel so much better for it too.

 

 

 

This morning (monday ) I did a pitch to a company about the charity and think I did ok.  Time will tell.  Then scooted to the Gyle to meet Catherine, one of our supporters and a new friend of mine – I was sharing ideas with her and we had a great brainstorming session over a cappuccino – we came up with some brilliant ideas.  Came home briefly and then scooted off to meet Clare from Lothian Buses (and colleagues of us both) at Edinburgh Academy.  We were there to discuss a great physical challenge coming up so bear with us while we work on them!

Earlier this evening I was handing out Pedal4Paul flyers (if you can take some to your work please get in touch).  Then had a meeting about (wait for this, it’s hilarious) a breakfast we are helping at – saturday 22 june we are getting up at 330am to be cooking bacon rolls and putting out the muesli and yogurt for the returning cyclists from a night bike ride!  How cool is that?  I will talk more about this on our Andrew Cyclist website.

And that brings me to now.  Which is 11pm monday night and definitely definitely time for bed.

So I bid you a good night!