I'm a Material Girl

The Birthday Goes On

Sunday's trip to Glasgow for the three Celtic Connections concerts was my birthday present from Donald, thus extending my birthday into February. Two more presents came in today's post: another bundle of batik fabrics (pictured above) from daughter Shara and yet another item from my oldest and dearest friend Karen who had already sent the DVD of Puccini's opera, Madame Butterfly, a DVD of the Best of Gilda Radner, and a CD of Russian Easter music sung by a marvelous Russian chorus. Today's gift was a CD of the new Broadway revival of my favorite musical of all time: The Most Happy Fella. I am a Most Happy Lady.

A Most Unusual Sight

Don went off to his Probus meeting this morning while I went to coffee with the altos. As I was walking to the new Carrick Coffee Shop where we decided to meet for a change, I saw an awesome sight, one that reminds me that I'm in another country. As I was walking toward the bridge, a horse-drawn funeral carriage slowly crossed the bridge, carrying a coffin to a funeral at Comrie's parish church. The shiny black carriage had clear glass sides so that the casket was clearly visible. The driver was dressed in black, including a black frock coat and top hat with a black cockade on top. The carriage was pulled by two black horses and the horses had black cockades on their heads too. A spray of white flowers lay on top of the carriage. It was a beautiful sight and I thought "What an elegant way to take your final journey." I am I didn't have my camera as I'd have loved a photo with the blue sky in the background, for it is a beautiful day.

Glesga Folk

Don wanted me to tell you about Glasgow folk. The saying goes "There's no finer folk than Glesga folk." It's true. The story I told the other day of the man who stopped on Sauchiehall Street as I took a photo of the Beresford to ask if I knew its history is a perfect example. That sort of behavior is quite typical in Glasgow. As we were in the carpark after the final Celtic Connections concert on Sunday evening, we were trying to remember what floor the pre-pay machines were on. A woman overheard us talking and got off an elevator to tell us where they were. She walked up the stairs with us to the next floor, opened the door to point out where the machines were located, and then reached into her purse saying "You'll need a pound." We assured her that we had the proper coins to pay for the parking but she kept asking if we were sure. I'm certain she thought we were tourists, and why shouldn't she? We had that sort of experience in Glasgow back when we were tourists and have dined out on the story for many years since. (Dined out on the story being another great Scottish phrase, don't you think?)

Last September when our cousins Ruthellen and Russell were here, they spent the last few days of the trip in Glasgow. On their last day they went into a crowded restaurant for lunch. Three women seated in a large curved booth invited R&R to sit with them. Immediately they began asking our cousins "Are you here on holiday?" and wanting to know how they liked Scotland, where had they been, and what had they seen. When they learned it was R&R's last day in Scotland, one woman took a package of tablet (a marvelous but tooth-achingly sweet Scottish fudge) out of her handbag and insisted that Ruthellen and Russell take it as a farewell gift. The woman said she had just made it that morning and had brought it along so she and her friends could enjoy it during a film but they all knew what tablet tasted like. There are plenty of other stereotypes of Glaswegians, not all of them flattering, but none of them involve folk being mean (stingy) or unhelpful. It's true there's no finer folk than Glega folk.

That story is a perfect lead-in to the photo below which I also took on Sauchiehall Street last Sunday of Miss Cranston's Willow Tearoom (which is upstairs over the jewelers) designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh (CRM). We recommend you have tea there on your next trip to Glasgow where you'll be able to sit on actual CRM chairs, eat at CRM tables, have tea from a CRM-designed silver tea service and feast your eyes on some of Margaret MacDonald's (Mrs Mackintosh) sumptuous decorative gesso panels.