2010 to 2019

Memories - 2010

In 2010, Ewan was accepted by St. Andrews University. He is Studying Spanish and Russian and loves it. In that same year he travelled to Peru, staying in a centre for homeless street boys, teaching them English and generally helping out.

In 2011, Neil got very good Standard Grade exam results and went on a trip to Romania with the Boys Brigade and Scottish International Relief Charity where they helped at an orphanage with tasks such as gardening, re-surfacing the road, cooking and also helping at the nearby Gypsy Camp. He thoroughly enjoyed his week!

At the same time, Ewan and his friend Beth travelled round nine countries of Europe... Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, Russia and Poland. My memory isn’t too bad yet.

Merle and I attended the wedding of Cindy’s daughter, Kerry Pickering to Ben Kent in Bromsgrove. A wonderful day in beautiful surroundings.

Memories - 2012

I celebrated my 80th birthday on 19 January, 2012! I decided to wait until April to have the proper celebration in case the weather was bad. On 28 April, friends and family gathered at the Salutation Hotel in Perth where we had a lovely day with a wonderful meal and great music played by my nephews, Brian and Mike McKay and their pal. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the day.

My niece, Cindy, became a Granny at the end of May when Kerry gave birth to little Oliver (Ollie).

We had our usual week in York in early July, where it rained most of the time! Ewan and his friend Richard joined us on their way back from a five week cycling trip through Russia, an experience they were glad they had but probably won’t rush to repeat.

The week after we returned home I fell and shattered my wrist! It’s amazing the things you are unable to do with a plaster on your arm. After about six weeks I got the plaster off!

At the end of July, we went with Ewan to Edinburgh Airport as he was flying to Rionegro in Colombia to do his year abroad as part of his degree. He is teaching English at a University there and really enjoys it. His students vary considerably in their level of English, so it’s quite a challenge.

Merle, Robert and Neil had a week in Oban, during which time Neil got his Higher results: 5 A’s. So we are all very proud! He is going on to do Advanced Highers now. Neil is also starting his Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award.

In September, Thelma and I spent a week in Fort William; we visited our cousin, Aileen, in the Forth Park Care Home. Sadly, she died 6 weeks later. I am glad we got to see her.

In early October we attended Cindy’s 50th Birthday Party in the Royal George Hotel in Perth. This was another good day with a lovely meal, great chat with family we hadn’t seen for a while and, of course, great music from Cindy’s twin brothers, Brian and Mike.

Evelyn had a bad fall mid-October. She broke her ankle in 3 places.

All the time Ewan has been in Colombia, we have been keeping in touch via Skype, a great thing as you don’t then feel he’s so far away! Ewan was home for Christmas and New Year, though I never saw very much of him as he spent the New Year in Arran and he was in Edinburgh and twice at St. Andrews. Merle had some of his Student Friends staying overnight en route to Ireland. A good time was had by all. We had a birthday meal for his 20th Birthday at a Greek Taverna in Ayr which was lovely. Ewan, being Ewan, found a Russian speaker there too.

Neil has had 3 unconditional offers for University: 2 from Glasgow (for Computer Science and for Software Engineering) and 1 from Strathclyde (for Computing and Law). He is waiting to hear from Edinburgh and St. Andrews, but hopefully will in the next few weeks.

Memories - 2013

I have now celebrated my 81st birthday on 19 January, 2013. I had a nice meal at The Crofthead Hotel on Saturday. Time to start the diet now!

Ewan has gone back to Colombia. We won’t see him until August when his time there is finished.

Neil received an unconditional offer for Computer Science from St. Andrews.

Merle is now volunteering with RNIB again. This time for the local, Ayrshire service, Ayrshire Local Integrated Sensory Services (ALISS), in conjunction with Action on Hearing Loss.

In March Merle celebrated her 47th birthday.

April saw birthdays for Thelma and Anne.

In May Robert went for a 7-week holiday to Colombia to visit Ewan. He went with Ewan’s university friend, Richard.

In June I had a lovely week in Chester with Merle and Neil. The weather was fantastic.

Neil had a holiday to Zante with his school friends and Merle went to York for 3 days.

In July Neil went back to Romania with the Boys Brigade. Again, a great time was had by all and they worked and played hard!

In August Ewan and Neil went to Latvia and Estonia and then joined myself, Robert and Merle for the usual family holiday in York.

In September Ewan went back to St Andrews and Neil started his course there. However, Neil did not enjoy the course or the St Andrews experience, so came back home in November.

Merle and Robert had a few days away in Skipton, Yorkshire.

Neil went to Turkey for a couple of weeks and decided to apply to Strathclyde University for International Business for next year entry.

Robert celebrated his 60th birthday. We all had a lovley meal in St Andrews.

Merle and Robert had a mini break in Carlisle, and almost got stranded due to the storms closing the railway line North.

We had the usual Christmas festivities at Crofthead Road and New Year 2014 at Holmston Crescent. Neil managed to go to his friend’s party as well. Ewan was in Malta for New Year and his 21st with friends.

Memories - 2014

Neil had an unconditional offer from Glasgow University and began researching volunteerign abroad, probably Europe.

In mid February Ewan went off to Yaroslavl in Russia for 18 weeks studying at a Russian university. No easy option as he has to do a 4000 word dissertation in Russian for St Andrews University as well as all the Russian classwork.

Neil secured some voluntary work, in a hostel, in Osaka, Japan. He had visited a tower Block, 350 storeys high, then in Tokyo, the one there was 450 storeys high and had a Glass Walkway at the top. The people were all very nice and he enjoyed his time there.

In mid April Robert went on a week long sailing course on the Clyde. He really enjoyed it and is keen to do more sailing as soon as he can. Merle and I spent that week visiting family and friends in Dundee and Perth. The weather was lovely and we had a great time. We met with Thelma and Gillian one day. Evelyn, Neno and Lesley and Sheila, Nicol, Lisa and Michael. We visited Margaret Mitchell and Margaret Barker, had a good blether and had news that Margaret B. (Lady Millhill) had a stroke and was in Ninewells Hospital. Unfortunately, she never recovered from that and sadly died on 5th June... a day before her 81st birthday. Merle and I travelled to Broughty Ferry for the Funeral Service, then to the lovely Churchyard, at Panbride. There, a piper led the coffin and he played until Margaret was laid to rest. Then we went back to the Station Hotel, Carnoustie, for a buffet and a blether.

In May Neil moved on to South Korea to work in another hostel. He managed to fit in some site-seeing there too, including a week on the Island of Jeju.

Neil returns home on 17th June and Ewan on 21st June.

We managed to fit in our anual trip to York once both boys were home.

In July Ewan and his friend Richard went off to Spain to do walking/hiking. Ewan’s walking boots fell apart and he had to buy trainers.

In August Robert had a trip to the Netherlands. I was in Perth at Thelma’s and met up with Merle. We visited Cindy and family at North Bank where Nan and Martin were staying for a few days. Brian and Kerrie also paid a visit. Nan was looking well.

In September Ewan went back to St Andrews for his final year and Neil started International Business at Strathclyde. Merle and Robert had a break in Skipton and Newcastle.

In October I had a few days at Windermere Manor Hotel. Hassle as the train was replaced by a bus to Carlisle due to a tree on the line. Then on the way back my train was cancelled and the next one was choc a bloc with two train loads of passangers on one train. Had a nice time at the Hotel though.

We had our usual family Christmas and New Year celebrations at Merle and Robert’s and my house, though Neil was at a party on Hogmany.

Memories - 2015

January 2015 saw Ewan, Richard and Nia off to Teneriffe.

Quiet spell until April when Merle and Robert had five days in Blackpool. It was very cold and quite wet but they enjoyed their break nonetheless.

Ewan finished his Russian and Spanish Degree in St Andrews at the end of May.

In June we went to York for our usual family week there. We had a lovely Sunday there with John, Jane, Brian and Kerrie, Stephen and Nicole; lots of good food, music and banter. During this week, Neil went ‘Interrailing’ to 8 Cities in Europe (Amsterdam, Berlin, Vienna, Krakow, Belgrade, Zagreb, Budapest and Prague). Later that month Ewan graduated with a 2:1 with Distinction in Spoken Spanish from St Andrews. Merle and Robert attended the Graduation and Garden Party. Afterwards, Ewan went off to the Isle of Man and Cornwall to do a bit of research on their minority languages. Merle and Robert stayed on in Fife for a few days. I went down to Blackpool where it was VERY warm.

In July Robert went sailing around the Isle of Mull.

In August Merle and I went to Ireland for a week. We had a couple of days in Dublin, three days with Anne and Martin in Co Kildare and a couple of days in Belfast. Nan wasn’t too good while we were in Newbridge. She was very tired and wasn’t up to doing much, but she made a valiant effort for our sake and hopefully enjoyed our visit as much as we loved seeing them both. Robert and Neil had a week in Slovakia. They spent some time in Bratislava then went to the Tatras Mountains area.

Very sadly, on 4 September, Anne died. We went over to Newbridege for the funeral on 11 September. We got the ferry to Belfast with Thelma, Cindy, Brian, Kerrie and Mike. They drove down to Newbridge and Merle and I got the train to Belfast and train to Newbridege. Martin and his neighbours on either side put us up for two nights. Brian and Kerrie stayed with Betty, Thelma and I with Brida and Cindy, Mike and Merle stayed at Martin’s. We went to the funeral parlour then drove into Dublin to the Crematorium and tea in a nearby hotel. Later, we had a family get-together in the evening with music, singing and even a bit of dancing! We left next day for home, arriving in Ayr at 19:30. Also, in September, Ewan and Richard went to Macedonia where they had a nice walking holiday despite being chased by a pack of wild dogs at one point. Thankfully, their guardian angels were watching over them and they escaped shaken but unharmed. Neil returned to Strathclyde University to start his second year. He is staying in the same self-catering halls of residence, but has nice, sociable flatmates this year.

In October Merle and I went to Blackpool for five days. At the end of October we had a Scottish Memorial Service for Nan in Dundee. We went to Balgay Cemetery to the family grave and sang a few songs and had readings. Then some of her ashes were scattered from the top of the Law Hill. Finally we went to Doc Stewart’s pub for lunch and lots more music and singing. It was nice to see so many of our family and friends, but under sad circumstances.

In November Ewan went to Edinburgh for four weeks to do a CELTA course to give him a recognised, respected qualification for teaching English abroad. My cousin George Prain paid us a visit.

In December Merle and Robert had a long weekend in Birmingham with Stephen and Nicole. The West Coast Main Line was flooded, so they thought they may not get back, but they were able to use their tickets on the East Coast Line, so not so bad. I treated myself to a new recliner chair. We also met up with Cindy, Rich, Kay, Thelma and Neil for an early Christmas lunch in Glasgow.

Memories - 2016

In January 2016 Ewan went off to start his new job, a year teaching English at a Language Centre in Khujand, Tajikistan. He loves it, the teaching, the people, the place and the food! Neil passed his exams and started classes again at university. I had my 84th birthday.

On 12 February Merle went to her GP with stomach pains and was admitted to Ayr Hospital with appendicitis. They tried to treat it with IV antibiotic drip, but it didn’t work, so on Valentine’s Day, she had an operation to remove her appendix. She is recovering well.

On 4 March we celebrated Merle’s 50th birthday! Neil came down from Glasgow, I went to the house and Ewan Skyped her. We had a lovely Chinese meal. She got lots of lovely cards, messages and gifts and had a lovely day.

Ewan seems to be settling in to his new job in Tajikistan. The cost of living is a lot lower than here in the UK. For example, a three-course meal would cost around £1.50!

I spent a few days in Perth with Thelma and Stewart at Bracken Brae

Merle and Robert celebrated their Silver Wedding anniversary on 28 June, so in early July, they set off on a Mediterranean Cruise. Cindy, Rich and Martin were with them on the cruise. They visited Marseilles, Barcelona, Civitavecchia, the port for Rome, Naples and Livorno, the port for Florence. The NCL liner was called ‘The Epic’ and that it was! A great time was had by all. On their way back through France, Merle and Robert visited Aix en Provence for a few days before returning home.

At the end of July Merle and I stayed with Cindy and Rich in Perth for a few days. We visited Alice and Allan in Carnoustie and met up with Gillian in Dundee.

In August Neil went to Japan with friends to celebrate his 21st birthday. From there, he went on to Hong Kong to do a year abroad at university there as part of his International Business degree.

In September Robert paid a visit to Ewan in Tajikistan. He met some of his new friends and Jamila, his Korean girlfriend. On his return to the UK he met up with me, Merle and Maureen Curtin in York for a week in Fairfax Corner. Merle had been to visit Lesley in London for a few days too.

It was a quiet Christmas with just Merle, Robert and myself this year. However, we managed to have a 3-way Skype with Ewan in Tajikistan and Neil in the Philippines where he was spending Christmas and New Year. Along with some of the other exchange students Neil had also been to Vietnam, Taiwan and Thailand in the months before this.

Memories - 2017

In January 2017 Ewan returned from Tajikistan and we had a second ‘Christmas’ with him, which was lovely.

Sadly, in April, auntie Alice passed away at the age of 96. We went up to Dundee to attend the funeral at the Crematorium then to a hotel for tea. That was a hectic day from Ayr to Dundee via Glasgow, attended the funeral and back home all within 12 hours! We all shared happy memories of good times with Alice.

At the beginning of May Ewan was off again to work abroad, this time to Peru for a year’s contract with an NGO called SKIP (Supporting Kids In Peru).

In June Neil finished at university in Hong Kong, went to Beijing for a week, then came home. Then came the daunting task of finding a flat! This was eventually accomplished and in early September he moved in to the flat in the former Homeless Hostel in Duke Street in Glasgow with his pal Lewis.

In July Neil had gone to a music festival in England with his German friend, Gina, then on to the South of France for three weeks where her family have a house. He had a lovely, restful holiday there.

Also in July Merle and I went to stay with Cindy and Rich in Perth again for a few days. We met up with Thelma and went to Dunfermline to see the Abbey. We also had a trip to Carnoustie to see Allan.

At the end of August we had our annual trip to York. Neil joined us after his few days in Amsterdam/Brussels with friends. We had a nice day away in Sheffield, a new city for us.

Also in August my nephew, Mike, died suddenly, so we were back in Dundee for the funeral. There was a lovely service at St Peter & Paul’s Church, then the crematorium and then on to the Celtic Club for a celebration of his life. The place was packed with relatives, friends and musicians, many of whom knew Mike through his having been a member of Tap o the Hill band.

In October Merle and I were back in Dundee to attend the retiral party of Ross, with whom I had worked for many years. It was hard to chat as the band were very loud, but a good evening was had by all and I saw some old work colleagues I hadn’t seen for over 25 years. The buffet was very nice too. I ended up losing my voice, some say that was no bad thing, ha ha.

Ewan was home for two weeks over Christmas. He came back via Norway for a few days where he met up With Robert and his friend Nia. They had a lovely snowy time there. As Ewan couldn’t travel to London in time to get his flight back to Peru on 2 January he spent New Year in London with Richard, Cosmos and Nia. He met up with Beth and with Jamila too. Neil spent New Year in the Netherlands with the friends he had made while in Hong Kong. As that would have meant a very quiet New Year, we decided to bring it forward and celebrate on 27 December when both boys were still in Ayr. We had our family Hogmany on 27 December and New Year’s Day, combined with an early birthday for Ewan, on 28 December. This was in my house. We also had our annual viewing of The Steamie.

Memories - 2018

On 19 January 2018 I celebrated my 86th birthday with a Chinese meal and lots of presents.

I was taken to see Neil’s new flat in Glasgow. It’s in what used to be the big homeless persons hostel in Duke Street. These are now lovely, spacious student flats.

In February I, along with Merle and Robert, met up with Cindy, Rich, Kerry and her two wee boys and Neil in Glasgow. It was Kerry’s birthday, so we all had a lovely lunch and catch-up.

In April Ewan returned from Peru. He had three weeks in Colombia with his friends there before he came back to the UK. Poor Neil has been studying hard for his Final Honours exams.

Merle, Robert and the boys had their annual week in York. I didn’t go with them this year as my leg was playing up. Much better recently, so I’ll be there with them next year. Whilst there Neil got his exam results. He got a 2:1 for his Degree in International Business with Hospitality and Tourism, so is very pleased. Neil graduated on 29 June wearing the full kilt outfit and his hood and gown in 30 degrees! We had a lovely Italian meal in Qua in Glasgow to celebrate.

In July I had five days in Aberdeen with Merle, Robert and the boys in very warm weather. We met up with Betty Morrison and also Colin and Helen Middler. Did a lot of walking, visiting Hazlehead and Duthie Parks as well as the beach. There I had a lovely white chocolate and coconut ice cream. I didn’t get much before it rolled off the cone and landed on the ground, promptly followed by a flock of seagulls. Later in the month Merle and Robert went down to London to see Les Miserables. They met up with Ewan, who was down for a job interview, and his friends Richard, Nia and Beth. Merle carried on down to Devon to spend a few days with her friends Lesley and Rob in Exmouth.

Back in January my cousin Allan had problems with his blood and then bone marrow. The cancer diagnosis meant chemotherapy, but sadly, he did not recover and died on 20 July. We feel so sad for his daughter Allana and are trying to support her as best we can.

In August Ewan went to Spain and Portugal with Richard and Nia. It was very hot. Robert and Merle had a cruise round the Norwegian Fjords and had a great week. They managed to catch up with their Newcastle friends Brian and Audrey and Michael. Neil stayed at home and came to visit me a couple of times. Later in the month Merle and I had a few days in Broughty Ferry and Dundee with family. I had a lovely time seeing my sister Thelma, her husband Stewart, her daughter Allison and granddaughter Amy, my niece Gillian, my nephew Brian and his wife Kerrie and my niece Cindy’s husband Rich and my brother-in-law Martin. Cindy was volunteering in Romania that week. I also went to visit my cousins Evelyn and Marian. While we were in Dundee, Robert and Neil had a few days in Carcasonne in France. They had lovely weather, food, drink and site seeing. They also got to a music festival and saw the medieval part of the city. Ewan stayed at home and wrote his novel.

Ewan left the UK again on 17 September to start his new job in Iraqi Kurdistan. He has a nice flat with an American chap, John, who is also teaching there. He has made some good friends and found a church which he likes. There is a plentiful supply of good food. Neil left the following week and spent a few days with his friend Gina in Bristol, then a few days in Xian, China before flying to Bangkok, Thailand to begin his internship in eco tourism. He found a nice little flat and is now used to the heat and air conditioning. He has done some siteseeing and is just back from a trip to the Vietnamese island of Phu Coq with his boss which he really enjoyed. Neil came home for Christmas.

Memories - 2019

Neil went back to Thailand in January 2019 for a further 11 weeks until the beginning of April. Ewan came back to the UK in mid January for a month before heading to Tajikistan for his new job with Arkon (the ecompany he worked with when he was there three years previously). I had my 87th birthday and had a Chinese take away with Merle and Robert.

In February we went to a 30th birthday lunch for Mike McKay in Glasgow and saw lots of family. A good afternoon was had by all.

Merle and I went to Perth for five days at the beginning of April. We met up with Gillian, Cindy, Evelyn and Mike. We visited the V&A Museum in Dundee. We thought it could be more accessible as most exhibits were in glass cases with information in tiny print. This issue was going to be addressed in the near future. We also visited Thelma and Stewart.

Neil has been job hunting to no avail and eventually decided to do a Master’s degree. He was accepted to do Post Colonial Studies at SOAS (School of Oriental and African Studies). Merle and Robert went to Amsterdam for five days. They saw windmills, went to Utrecht and generally enjoyed themselves.

Neil moved to London early September. He is sharing a flat with his German friend, Gina. They have two cute kittens called Luna and Arya. Merle, Robert and the boys went to York for the usual week. I didn’t go as my back was very painful and the house we go to has upstairs. Ewan was back in the UK for two weeks, a week in Ayr and a week in York/London. It went by all too quickly. He has a girlfriend, Zainab, who is from Pakistan. She is a teacher in Khujand too.

Christmas was quiet this year, just Merle, Robert and myself. Neil couldn’t come up as there was nobody to look after the cats so he stayed in London. Ewan was working as his contract ends in mid February. We will have a second Christmas celebration with them both then. New Year was also very quiet. Merle and Robert came to my house and we had a nice meal.