To follow on from my last posting here, the Leonard Cohen concert in Edinburgh turned out to be something special, just as expected. It is encouraging to see and hear how (at 73) he is getting better with age. I’ll attach a picture. I have a video I wanted to post too but the file seems to be too large. It was good to meet my cousin Janet and her husband Bryan there – who had travelled all the way from Bristol for the event! That's me and Janet before the show. 
Last weekend I met even more of my rather wide extended family up in Aberdeen and in Dufftown at the annual Highland Games there. The format seems to have remained unchanged for ever, and I reckon that is a real strength. The weather is a big variable though, and I’m pleased to report that this year it was ideal. I took along Ali Baxter (Linda and Vic's son from Aberdeen) and the highlight was probably his lucky programme winning the prize of two bottles of the local produce! My pictures are of the Buckie Pipe Band coming down Conval Street in Dufftown (where my Granny McWilliam used to live) and of Auntie Annie and cousins Kate and Eleanor. 
And a couple of videos – some of the massed pipe band march at the Games (with how not to toss a caber in the background), and another showing how to do it right!
My return at the beginning of July coincided with the start of a by-election campaign in Glasgow East, and I decided to get involved. It seemed that there was a chance here to make a difference to something; so I did a bit of leafleting and canvassing work in the cause of the SNP. I’m delighted with the result, which has helped put the cat amongst the pigeons at the Labour Party, and it is pleasing to feel that I might have contributed a bit. Apologies to any Labour fans out there. I've tried to steer reasonably clear of political bias in this blog but this time it is unavoidable.
I’ve been thinking about my next bit of travelling too, and am now booked to go to the USA for a few weeks in October, and for a few days in Italy at the start of November. In the US the highlight will be hitting the tourist spots around Los Angeles with Elaine and Chloë. I’m hoping to spend a long weekend in New York on the way back. In Italy it is Judy McK’s 40th celebration which is the big attraction.
Back in Glasgow, Emina has moved on (to Oxford) and I have the place to myself for a while. In September my nephew Douglas, who is a student at the University here, will be taking her place.
This weekend is the start of Festival time in Edinburgh and I hope to get across for several visits, and at least a dozen or so shows. In the meantime Glasgow had the River Festival. It was pretty good, and I'll include a photo of the Clyde to show that it sometimes doesn't rain here. 
On the work front, I’m not doing much other than contemplate some options, but I’ve been stepping up my activity as a panel member with the Glasgow Children’s Hearings system. I’m up for reappointment at the end of the year and I need to try to make up for my rather long absence in recent months!
Finally, regarding the all-important garlic soup subject, I’ve had a few more attempts (despite Emina’s protests), and I have to confess that I still have some work to do to match the Himalayan variety. I will enjoy trying though.
