WE’RE on our way into Glasgow early doors. Margaret drops me in Milngavie and I get the train to Anniesland and wander along to Gartnavel for my eye hospital appointment. Past Esquire House where I had my 21st 35 years ago…and a first date with my first ‘proper’ girlfriend a few years previous to that.
I also pass the Pond Hotel – venue for my first wedding celebration just over 25 years ago and adjacent to Bingham’s Pond, the destination of many early bike rides.
Problem is, my appointment isn’t ’til 11am and because of lockdown, there’s nowhere really to wait out the next two-and-a-half hours. I take a walk to Hyndland and the nostalgia trip continues. Past Hughenden, my primary school (Hillhead) playing fields and to the row of shops on Hyndland Road a hundred yards or so from where I grew up and, indeed, lived until I was 22.
Epicure, in that row of shops, is the first place I come to where I can have a socially distanced seat inside and a coffee…and a cheeky roll and sausage. It’s fantastic, but a bit of a bank breaker at seven quid for my breakfast!
Having liked one fo the two and a bit hours, I wander back toward the hospital and make a few nostaligia-driven detours along the way. Still early, so I wander for another half hour until the need to ‘sit down’ becomes too urgent to hold off and I hot the hospital toilets before making my way to the eye department waiting area.
I’m there nearly two hours then walk into the city centre and on to Costco at Springburn via the Chung Ying Chinese cahs’n’carry. Margaret meets me in Costco having been to pick up a couple of ‘test print’ hoodies from our screen printing pal Kenny and we get some more shopping. Then Tesco, then home.
We’ve had to replace all the windows in our entrance hall/lounge/conservatory area. A considerable expense could it’ll afford – the wooden cladding outside its also in poor repair and it’s replacement with composite cladding part of the project. There’s been a Biot of to-ing and fro-ing for various reason, but today our pal Keiran has been to replace the cladding.
Unfortunately, though, that’s not happened. When he removed the wood cladding he opened a can of worms, finding the wood framing and insulation behind it saturated and extensive damp and rot. Not good news. Glad we found it before it got even worse tho’. The one-day job is now going to take a week and he can’t come back ’til next week.
Once the shopping’s put away I get some work done in the office then lock up, go back tot he house and rustle up some salt & pepper tofu for dinner before an early night. A busy day tomorrow…
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