Father’s Day Fun and Frolics

Image: Laura Galbraith

There’s still time to win a free copy of STELLA over at Cate Masters’ blog. You have until 8pm EST to head over to http://catemasters.blogspot.com and leave a comment. In reality, I’ll be asleep at that time (1am BST) so I’ll do the draw first thing tomorrow morning.

I’ve had a great weekend. After Friday night out to see The Beat, I was up in the morning to write the newspaper review. I got it sent off but because of the timing of the gig and the Oasis and Take That dominance of the Scottish live music scene this week, it only made it to the online edition. Click here to ready the review.

Gail and I were at a 30th party last night in one of the bars in the Corn Exchange Village. We had met one of Gail’s pals first in Au Bar and sank a few pints, the highlight of the evening being the sight of women screaming and standing on chairs as a wee mouse invaded the bar. It eventually dived towards the kitchen as though it had suddenly remembered where home was. The look on the woman at the next table who had just finished her steak pie with potato wedges was priceless.

The party was your typical family & friends bash, with lots of people who didn’t know each other but a damn good buffet and not a bad pour of Guinness either. It was such a nice night outside we spent the bulk of the party out in the beer garden even after sun-down. We got home around 2am.

This morning I got a Father’s Day card from Laura – it had a pint of lager on the front (she knows me so well) – and a massive 390g bar of chocolate. Laura and I headed off for a Daddy-Daughter Day in town, not quite sure at first where we were going, but we covered a lot of ground by the end of it.

We started off in the George Street branch of Waterstone’s, where I bought my holiday reading and got Laura a book she also wanted. Then we went to my favourite coffee shop where Laura treated us both to a cappuccino, hot chocolate and pastries.

The weather was so nice we went for a walk, taking in Princes Street (or what’s left of it), The Mound, The Royal Mile, Edinburgh Castle, Victoria Street (where I found a shop that sells Jamaican Blue Mountain – you beauty!!) the Grassmarket, and then stopped off for 99’s in Princes Street Gardens by the fountain.

After some lazing about in the sun we jumped a bus to Corstorphine and had lunch in a God-awful McDonald’s, only justified to myself because Laura likes them. I felt like shit after eating my Big Mac, so I doubt I’ll ever have one of them again. Ever.

We stopped went into Pets At Home to check out the rabbits they have in, and it was the same two mini-lops they had the last time. It’s a real shame because they’re absolutely gorgeous wee bunnies. I bought some supplies for Mopsy and Pippin then we headed home.

Back at the ranch Gail made some home-made lasagne for evening dinner, which went down a storm, then I cracked open the bar of chocolate with some fresh coffee. Now that’s what I call a Father’s Day!