Apologies not to have written a blog for so long. I have been busy. Yes busy. And everything is going swimmingly may I say.
I will delay on a summary of my drinking or non-drinking actually until the year end. I am holding up very well. I have been helped by some excellent counselling at FASS may I say.
My tour guiding has just started again and I am very fortunate to have a growing and more diverse client base which I like. For example last week I had a lovely couple from the States, Michael and Kate Heard, who I took round Edinburgh in the morning, then we caught a train to St Andrews and capped off with a wee food tour of the town which they seemed to really enjoy.
Next day I had 3 lovely Americans guys on the Old Course and we had great fun and they were super appreciative of the chance to play the Auld Lady. It’s such a special thing to play on the most famous golf course in the world and at the Home of Golf.
On Saturday I did a whisky storytelling talk at the Rusacks which was great fun with 6 Canadians, four of whom I had caddied for last year at the Fairmont! They were rather taken back to see me in Room 116 of the Rusacks in my kilt and their somewhat host for the afternoon.
So all great fun. But this year I am trying to get a better balance of tours and me-time. And that should be cool because at the ripe age of 63 and a quarter I don’t want to be overdoing things. Not that I have ever over done things on the work front as most of my friends know. In fact it is been a rather weird and wonderful and sometimes rather bumpy route that has brought me back to my alma mater and enter the twilight period of my life. It’s funny that my Mum always said she could see me ending up living by the sea. And she was right.
But I have been very lucky to get the set up I now enjoy in St Andrews. Bumping into lovely Johnathan at the Fairmont one day for my initial lead into tour guiding and then getting on a number 11 bus one day and striking up a conversation with a man in a kilt who got me into Tours By Locals. Funny how things come about sometimes, especially when one jumps onto buses. It’s how I met my wife on the X59.in Edinburgh bus station. And that was a blessing. Indeed doubly lucky that day because her festival show had been cancelled and I had run out of money to buy another pint in Cafe Royale even though I was quite engrossed in a lovely chat with this chap called Tom.
My golf is coming on great. I managed 2 over for 15 holes on the Old on Monday which is good for me. Don’t ask about the last 3 holes though. And today I was one over on the Old after 11 holes. So there is life yet in this 63 and a quarter year old yet!
So guys and galls I will try and post my summer experiences and keep you more up to date.
Slainthe and fare forward passengers.