Today I choose!

The choices we make...

Eileen, Rosie, Grainne and Gordon, the monkey

Last weekend Rosie and I travelled through to Edinburgh for a Girlie weekend with Auntie G at the Festival. We saw four shows. Two on Saturday and two on Sunday and three of them involved audience participation. And yes, Rosie and I thoroughly enjoyed participating but Grainne not so much. If you know Grainne, you will know that she is a joy to be with and Gordon, the puppet certainly thought so. 

However what happens at the Edinburgh Festival stays in Edinburgh. Alternatively you could always ask Grainne...

Above is Gordon and chum and this show shared top spot in our best bits of the Festival with

The battle of Frogs and Mice when our Rosie became Rosie Longleap, leader of the frogs. 

Both shows are a must if you are going to the Edinburgh Children's Fringe Festival. There is soooo much to choose from but always good to get a recommendation.

The Battle of Frogs and Mice started with poor choices being driven by lies and ended well with both sides of the battle realising they had been duped and agreeing to share the pond.

A timely story that has lasted over 2000 years, as it was taught to children in Ancient Greece. 

Some stories need retelling in modern times, as it seems that people, frogs and mice included need a helping hand as far as sharing ponds go.

If you think it was heavy going, you are wrong. It was hilarious and included a performance from Rosie Longleap that will stay in memory for a long, long time.

Now there is another tale to tell prior to the Edinburgh sojourn and like the ancient Greek tale, it is a bit of a saga.

I tripped and fell on the Thursday before driving through to Edinburgh. No biggy, perhaps you are thinking. However it involved me being spread-eagled in a car park, shopping everywhere and me fracturing a couple of ribs.

 Well, I didn't know it then. 

I only found out yesterday when I went to the doctors, as the pain was worsening every day. Have now been told to take it easy. Duh, not sure I can do anything else... and be prepared for a 4-6 week recovery.

So here I am again, lurching from one crisis to another and facing my poor decisions/choices.

I didn't "choose" to fall. However I did choose to go astride a small fence in order to get to the car quicker. Not a wise choice when carrying bags and having limited movement in knees!

I didn't choose to go to A and E or Doctor on the Thursday, as I thought it would get better. Not sure if that was a good or not so good choice. My choice to still go to Edinburgh was however the right decision, a choice easily made. The three days of joy were the best pain killer ever. Although the gin and tonics helped too.

We make choices every day... and we have to live with them. It is how we live with them that is really important. So, no crying over spilt milk/shopping bags for me. 

Consequences is the name of the game that we all play. Not just the game I remember playing in the school playground. It is worth remembering that our life is an ongoing result of the daily decisions we make. Who knows what impact they will have on ourselves and others or where our choices will land us! It certainly wasn't me last Thursday!

p.s. my friend Anne chose to visit me yesterday just as I was pondering how to get to the docs. She had been wondering how I was and brought a book for me to read. How was that for timely? 

Thank you Anne for your visit, your ongoing help and your timely choice of dropping by... and thanks too for the strawberry tarts! Your choices yesterday have inspired me to write today...

Meditation

 Wow, it is nearly the end of July! We are now travelling into the second half of our annual calendar. 

Does it feel like the year is passing quickly, the months disappearing fast into the past? Or are you like me, endeavouring to live in a present timeline, focusing on the now, as invariably, future plans can go askew ... and the past has definitely become a different country for me. 

I wrote the following poem when I was learning just how askew life can go. My health had deteriorated drastically after succumbing to a chest infection that floored me while skiing in France. 

For two years I struggled with pain, fatigue and limited movement. Many of you know the story so I won't repeat it here but will focus on the incredible journey of self discovery I experienced through writing.

Not able to do much, meditation was one of the "tools" I used to experience my day to day living. It was a lifeline and writing about it started my deep delve into cathartic writing, especially poetry.

I was 38 when I wrote about meditation while sitting looking at the Clyde coast vista and I still feel the same way, age 74 about how powerful and healing incorporating meditation into your daily life can be. Every aspect of scenery can lift the spirit. However, it is up to us to find the one that suits us best.

This one is my favourite "go to" in my head and I love visiting it in reality... who wouldn't?

Castagneto Carducci

                                                                    MEDITATION

                As I sit and enjoy the view

                My ears hear the sound of the music that drifts,

                the bird song that lifts the pain.

                The refrain I am listening to clears the mind

                and I find joy expand by the splendour at hand 

                and this is thought of as noble and true.

                Why is it then?

                That the music within, 

                the chords that are splendid and grand

                are ignored or abused or refused

                so that very few, enjoy the view

                 of the internal, eternal land.

                                                                                                       by Eileen Auld 1989

Over the past 37 years I have written many, many poems. 

Some long, some short. Some good, some not so much, but all are loved by me, as they have helped me move forward in life. Not all of them are cathartic I am happy to say, but all of them are precious in their own way.

Perhaps, you are wondering why is meditation the topic this month and why am I sharing this poem? Or maybe you are not questioning, but just reading as a catch up into what I am getting up to!

The reason for the subject, is because Cuku's event for August is "Remote Parts". I have mentioned this wonderful Word of Mouth book club a few times and the subject this month is timely for me. We are being encouraged to bring along anything... book, poem, genre of choice that is related to solitude, which has brought with it a sense of self, related to one's circumstances.

This struck a chord... and oft I went down memory lane. Forever grateful for my two years visiting those remote parts of myself and integrating them into my everyday living.

Please remember that life's a journey and travelling to remote parts can be enlightening, especially those remote parts of the self...

    

 

Laughter

 It's been a month since my Great Rail Journey... and it really was great. The scenery was superb, the trains amazing, the company delightful but most of all it was the laughter that I miss the most. Convivial laughter, around a table, breaking bread with friends

Gail, Greg and I laughed so much sometimes we cried. Or maybe that was just me? We laughed with Danny and Sonja, Lois, Judi and Bob and had so many amusing moments that fill your heart and soul that it is difficult to explain them to others. As the saying goes you had to be there.

Fondue Fun

So a big thank you to all those heartfelt moments and the memories of a really great journey by rail.

I laugh a lot when I am at my Zumba class and it would appear that the class members enjoy laughing at my antics. I have a smile on my face for 45 mins while I put my body through the dance wringer. I have even been shaking my booty recently... now that is enough to make anyone laugh.

Watching a comedy on TV, can lift my spirits but watching a show with Trevor Noah makes me laugh out loud and look at life differently. Something we all need on a regular basis.

... and there is even laughter yoga. Yep, not kidding. You just get the abdominal muscles and diaphragm to work as if you find something funny. The power of imagination is a wonderful thing. Once the abs are engaged, make your vocal chords work in unison with the abs... and lo and behold it is Comedy Central and there isn't a joke in sight!

So why am I majoring this month on laughter. Well, it is because I realised how much I miss it. Andy and I laughed a lot. We enjoyed the same humour and were both able to laugh at ourselves, although I think he found me funnier, especially when I wasn't meaning to be.

My time away on the train journey was to remind myself to be courageous and I received the unexpected blessing of joy and laughter and a reminder to encourage my body to experience belly laughs as much as I can.

Smiles are good, but laughter is great.

Leaving you with this image. 

with much love, Eileen

GRJ - Great Rail Journey

 Well, what can I say ... or write. The train adventure was all that I hoped for and so much more.

Now back, feeling renewed with so many wonderful memories to cherish and a general sense of well being from sharing time with some amazing travelling companions.

Many years ago my business strap line was " Life's a journey - enjoy". And that is what we did.

setting off from Glasgow

This time however, I am embracing a different kind of journey, very much into the unknown. seeking to be a brave traveller and visit a country I have never been to before, with people I have never met, on various trains for many hours at a time. Who knew what would happen! Certainly not me...

I won't be sharing all my photos, you will be glad to know. Just a few to let you catch a glimpse of how much fun and laughter was to be had while we travelled through some of the most amazing scenery Switzerland has to offer.

My wonderful journey began with meeting the rest of the travelling group at St Pancras station. There were 23 of us in the party and I was lucky enough to meet Gail and Greg an that first day. Two other single travellers who had, like me, embraced the courageous decision of travelling "solo" although we were surrounded by wonderful people. However, we didn't know that when we set out. 

Here we are, the three Musketeers. Enjoying a morning stroll in Strasbourg. The first stop on our journey to the Swiss border.

There weren't many free times to stroll, as the whole trip for me involved 22 trains! That was including the 4 return trips from West Kilbride to London and back.

More of the return journey to Scotland later...

Strasbourg was a lovely city and wandering around the cobbled streets gave us an insight to its importance on the European political stage. 

My original intention was to travel totally on my own, however common sense prevailed and I joined the Great Rail Journey package and met wonderful pals to share the adventure with ... and lots of photos. It has only just dawned on me if I had been the solitary traveller I had intended to be, I would have missed out on so many celluloid memories, as well as some candid camera ones of me!

cobbled street

Thank you to everyone for sharing the photos especially to Greg, who started the photo sharing fest in Strasbourg with the whatsapp group... of course we had one. Doesn't everyone?

Many of the photos I share have come from other eagle eyed photographers.

Some are inspiring and some, as you will see were impromptu snaps of Eileen enjoying herself... just in case you were even in doubt

Sonja and me

Time to move on and next stop was Chur which is the hub for the two Swiss train journeys that are a must. The Bernina Express and the Glacier Express. This last one is the slowest express train in the world! I have video footage of these journeys and would be pleased to share them. Just give me a call and we can chat about train journeys I have loved...

Now here is a compilation of photos to make you smile, as well as the ones of me grinning like a Cheshire cat. Many were taken by Greg but there is one taken by Gail and you can guess which one...

on top of the world

Apologies for the photo fest but be grateful I am only sharing some of them.  The Matterhorn is essential viewing and our short stay of 3 days in Zermatt wasn't long enough.

The Matterhorn

Finishing off the photos with a group photo in Zermatt and yes it was Greg that took it

So the adventurer returned full of stories, having been surrounded by the kindness of many strangers, who gelled together to make a very special time for us all. Mega thanks go to our tour guide Madeleine, who worked tirelessly to make our journey as smooth as possible. Thank you also to those of you who shared laughter and companionship in equal measure. 

It was indeed a holiday of a lifetime.

Now for a Post Script!

Euston station 1st class lounge

Arrived late into London on Sunday 24th May and got myself into a bit of trouble as I couldn't work the self service hotel registration. Eventually got some assistance and went to room, exhausted and slept well despite no air conditioning in the room! woke up early and looked for my train ticket that was usually with my passport. No passport and no train ticket to Glasgow...

Disaster, however lesson learned from previous night, find someone to help and sure enough I had left my documents at reception. Sorted... as I thought.

Walked to Euston Station, no ticket but not to worry as I had a screen shot on my phone..

No phone! I had left it in the hotel room as I panicked over the passport.

Another walk to retrieve phone and then return to station... to enjoy the 1st Class lounge accommodation and breakfast... and take a moment to breathe before my penultimate train journey to home .

So, having travelled many miles without a mishap, I fall at the last hurdle. It seems I made the right decision not to travel to Switzerland on my own.

                        Missing all you wonderful people who made my journey so enjoyable.

Mega thanks

Two very different days of weather but the same focus of family and friends on making a difference to people with Pulmonary Fibrosis

Largs arrival

Troon finishing line.

Many thanks to all who participated and donated. What a difference a month makes. We had fun walking, chatting and sharing valuable time together. The over whelming response of everyone has been touching and life affirming. It is good to know that there are good people wanting to make a difference. 

The Ayrshire donation total reached over £1500 and I know how welcome that will be to the charity's coffers. The Action for Pulmonary Fibrosis is a small charity with big aims. The vital research into cause of and cure for Pulmonary Fibrosis is a big part of the charity's work as well as helping people with PF to cope with their living circumstances. 

One of the pleasures of writing a monthly blog is being able to record the good times and then revisit them months or even years later. 

Mega thanks from the family

Walks for Hope

 This month's blog is all about walking for Hope. How could it be anything other?

Delighted to report that we have quite a few different people signing up for the walks. When I say different, I of course mean different from last year, not different in a pejorative sense!

As the intention is to spread the word, this means that we are expanding our supportive group and spreading information about the Pulmonary Fibrosis (PF) condition .... and how challenging it can be to those affected by this devastating disease.

The Walk for Hope campaign's focus is raising funds for research as much is unknown about the cause and at present there is no treatment for this life limiting disease.

Some of our walkers will be friends and family, some with be people with PF, some will be carers but all will be united in wanting to make a difference and my thanks to you all for joining together to wear our purple T-shirts as we walk the proms in Largs and Troon.

So here's the info regarding the Largs walk.

Date: Saturday the 18th April

Starting time: 12. noon

Starting point: Aubrey Crescent

Finishing at the Pencil if people are able to walk the 3 kms. Alternatively walk from Aubrey to the pier, or any other variation that suits. There are plenty of coffee shops in the town to rest weary  legs and enjoy a breather.

Some may want to walk back to collect cars. However for ease of logistics, I will leave my car at the Marina in case transport is needed on the day.

... and here I am walking the Troon prom. 

I do hope that the weather is as kind to us on Saturday the 25th April as it was that day!

Date: Saturday the 25th April

Starting time: 12 noon

Starting point: South end, car park, close to Royal Troon Golf Club

... then taking a short walk to the town, where people can rest on the many seats provided. Alternatively, especially if the weather is inclement, find a coffee shop to chat with your fellow walkers,

Maps are courtesy of Google of course and helpful if you have an idea of where you want to start and stop. There are lots of choices for people to make their individual Walk for Hope on the day.

Andy and I made the prom walk part of Andy's keeping as fit for as long as he could campaign. Inspired by the coastline and delighted to connect with fellow walkers when he could stop and chat. 

Let's make walking and talking part of our Walk for Hope Ayrshire campaign

Any questions please just get in touch. 

Mobile :07779 264562

Email: eileenauld@gmail.com

"Dates" and times

This month began as a busy time, with a Korean meal at Cuku on Friday the 6th March and a lunch at Six by Nico on Sunday the 8th. Both in Glasgow so I had a weekend away!

Friday's dinner "date" was with Kenneth and Natalie and Cuku's chef did us proud. Cuku is the deli that is home to the Word of Mouth book club that I am always raving about.

Here I am, perched, as usual. Nat and I ready and waiting for our starters...

and here they are, delish...

and here is KK, Korean Kenny enjoying what looks like a lime and soda but is really a G and T!

We were pretending that it was soju!

Too many courses to show you in the blog, but rest assured I did photograph all of them. It was a veritable feast.

Moving swiftly on to the Sunday, not forgetting a superb win by Scotland's rugby team on the Saturday, a job well done! Sunday is to be a convivial time with Grainne for a lunch date at Six by Nico. As many of you know, time spent with Grainne is always convivial

Grainne

Vin Rouge

  Another tasting menu, with a Paris theme this time and a wine "flight" to go with each course! What's not to like? 

and again, I photographed every course and even some of the wines!

Dessert

  

Best of all is the dessert, Creme Brulee - only my favourite

The luncheon included 7 courses and 7 wines and Grainne's superb company. 

Quite the Sunday lunch. 

Grazie mille Grainne for the special invitation.

To continue the "dating" game, although this time with a more serious focus, the Walk for Hope. 

This is when the charity Action for Pulmonary Fibrosis asks volunteers to organise walkers across the UK to raise awareness and funds for research into Pulmonary Fibrosis.

As you know, a group of us walked the Largs prom last year and raised a phenomenal amount for research. The aim was to raise £250.00 and people donated so generously that the total was an incredible £2,500.

This year we are repeating the Largs prom walk on Saturday the 18th April and are adding a walk along Troon prom on Saturday the 25th to accommodate our friends and family in South Ayrshire. Starting time approx noon and finishing time ... whenever! Place to be starting from in Largs is Aubery Crescent beside the Episcopal Church. Troon starting point is to be confirmed

It would be wonderful if you could join us on either walk or even both walks, if you are fit for it. Many of the friends who were able to join us last year are less able to walk this year, so we are continuing to walk for them. Last year the walk was in memory of my husband Andy. However this year it is more focused on the friends and families that need us to continue to highlight the condition and the devastating effect it has on their lives. 

The research is an important aspect for all who suffer from PF and funding is vital. However spreading the word to those who perhaps don't know about the life limiting condition of PF is just as important. 

Like last year, I have a facebook page and will be adding regular snippets of news regarding what is possible when people walk together for hope.

Please get in touch with me if you are interested in walking with us. Or maybe if walking isn't for you, please pass on the information to your friends and family, as each one of us can make a difference.