Visit to Scotland

I gave my Artist's Way group an exercise on Monday night. I gave each person a piece of paper with one sentence written on it, and asked them to continue on writing, a short story a poem or a memory.
There were a few pieces of parper left in the box ,as the students got on with their task,I picked out one for myself.
The line was " It is my favourite place because....this is what I wrote.


It is my favourite place because it is steeped in memories of my dad.

We scattered his ashes there last weekend,at the edge of the loch, below the deep blue mountains as the sun was going down.
I thought of what is said on Armistice day...... something like " At the end of the day, as the sun goes down,we will remember them"

That day was filled with love for dad, and a growing love for each other.

The five of us went,with dad,on our last journey with him,to say our last farewell.

" at the end of the day,when the sun goes down, I will remember you dear beloved pa!


This was written about the end of the day ,we had set out at 8.00am My brother M collected me then S.

We stopped for takeaway coffee on the Byres Road.Then we collected G in Neilston and J in Kilmarnock.
We took dad's Ashes to New Cummnock and scattered some on his grandmother's grave,we left some flowers and had a group hug.
We went to see if we could find Daniel's grave,my father's brother who died at birth,my grandparents were so poor they could not afford a burial,my poor dear beloved grandfather had to take his child at night and bury him in the graveyard.How must he and my lovely grannie have felt? not only losing her child but not having the money for his burial.
We decided we will get a plaque for him.

AS we left we stopped for a few minutes enjoying the peace of the sweet river Afton flowing past.
I understood why dad wanted a little bit of himself there.

We then headed to the Boig Road when dad was born.It is all new houses now,it was miners cottages in his day.

Glaston was our next stop at dad's other grannie's grave, she made great treacle scones.
Again I saw why he wanted to be there .The cemetry is in a peaceful spot and is well looked after.
WE scattered more of dad's ashes, laid more flowers and had more hugs.
Inveraray was or next port of call,stopping off in Glasgow to leave one of the cars,and at The Black Sheep, at the head of Loch Lomond ,for a quick lunch.

Then to the spot I wrote about earlier


We all shared our memories of our time in Inveraray with mum and dad,saw the little house that mum was evacuated to during the war.
Dad had said he wanted the remainder of his ashes scattered in the loch and a half bottle of whiskey poured on top ,G provided a bottle of Macallum whiskey,only the best for our dad.We stood for a good while watching the ashes the whiskey and the flowers all float out to the loch. I could not help cry,it was too much, the place was just filled with memories of dad,and he was not with us,we all kept saying dad would love this day,and he would have.

We took some pictures ,I am glad we did, at first I thought it might be morbid,but looking at them is comforting,and although it was poignant and sad,it was amazing too.

All the siblings forgetting little niggles and promising we will continue to meet often.

We have not needed to do that before as we met at Dad's now we have to make the effort and we all want to wholeheartedly.

As each one of us left the car,I felt sad again,we had gained so much comfort from each other.

I invited S&H for drinks and it was fun and we were invited there for Christmas Day and invited to Avimore with G for New year.

I have decide I want/need to be with my own children at Christmas and that is what we are going to do.

Christmas eve in Liverpool.

Christmas Day and Boxing day in Salford.

27th December till sometime in January in Glasgow, at dad's house ,with lots of family coming and going, maybe for the last time. We will give Kintillo a last Hurrah!
I will always love my dad I can't stop because he is not here anymore.

I have discovered I have a greater strength that I thought I had.

I did not think I would surive the death of my dad.....and I have..thanks to him his love I am able to let him go,a little tiny bit.