11th day, Monday March 13th

 

Back to Moretonhall Campsite 

David and Diane left after breakfast at Motel One, for visits to various family in the West: we'll be reunited of course next weekend for the final rugby match.

I met for lunch at the Fruit Market my old schoolfriend and fellow writer Hamish, and we had a good reunion chatting about family, poetry, publishing (Hamish founded and owns Mariscat Press, specialising in poetry), old school days in Glasgow, and music (as students in 1962 he and I played a life-changing summer season in Wales in a trio, where I met  Barbara, whom I married 6 years later). He gave me two of his own poetry publications and one of Mariscat Press's latest. Lots of things in common to catch up with.

I made a short visit to the City Art Gallery, looked at their new acquisitions, then retrieved my case from the hotel and called a taxi to return to the campsite. To my dismay, Carol-Anne at the reception told me power had not yet been restored, and now affected an entire quadrant of the south of Edinburgh. Which of course meant still no power to the Van, but also no hot food at the Stable Bar (which is in fact likely to stay shut for the week). However, the gods were clearly on my side, because as I was discussing all this with Carol-Anne, in the cold, unlit office, the lights throughout the camp burst into life: Salvation! Having established that there would now be power (on a coin meter) in the communal kitchen, she donated me a microwavable lasagne, which I did in fact enjoy after tidying up the messy van ready to deliver it to the garage first thing in the morning. 

So I am now pleased to be able to lie on my (electrically heated) bed, browsing on Hamish's poetry. Fingers crossed for tomorrow, because if they can't fix the van during the day, I'll be homeless 😢