Beginnings and Changes from Singapore and Scotland

Once upon a time in a Uni town

That lies on the Menai Straits.

A clever young man and a beautiful girl

would sit up talking until very late.

They talked of their hobbies

Of climbing and swimming,

Of music and walking and things.

They talked for so long they soon fell in love,

You know that feeling that makes your heart sing?

And after they graduated with mortas and gowns

And their tutors had given their congratulations,

The boy did his PHD in a town far away.

And the beautiful girl? Well she went with him!

Together they lived, they worked and they played

Supporting and loving each other,

They even started a club where others could come

To learn how to be a cool Ninja!

And then came the day that they flew far a way

To a wedding in sunny New Zealand.

They climbed a volcano, where the boy knelt on one knee

To ask, if she'd take him, as her husband.

How happy we were when we all heard the news,

Our family had suddenly become larger.

John and Debbie were thrilled, as was I and her brother

I had a new son and they had a new daughter.

It was with this poem, along with a few flash cards of Lisa and Steve that I began my speech at their leaving party two weeks ago. Eighteen of Steve's family had gathered together for a meal at the local hotel and while we were waiting to be seated I had been asked to say a few words.

Having begun at the beginning, I went on to tell some more ….

Hopefully many of you have read the story of Lisa and Steve's Wedding, in fact I am sure a few of my readers were actually there but what you may not realise is the significance of the date!!

The 13^th day of the 7^th month in 2013.

Now my daughter has always been rather good at maths, in fact she loves maths. Numbers are pictures to her and she is especially fond of prime numbers. She was actually born on the 13^th of July so maybe her love of prime numbers started there, who can tell.

Her husband Stephen, is also rather good at maths, which I am sure you will all agree is a useful trait for a theoretical quantum chemist.

So having returned from New Zealand she and Steve decided to get married five months later on her birthday as 13 is a prime number and so is 7. I did point out that 2013 is not a prime number - it is divisible not only by 1 and itself but also by 3 - but my daughter quickly countered that if you add up the dates of her wedding 13, 7 and 2013 it equals 2033 which is a prime number!!

She also got married at 11 am, yet another prime number.

 Did I mention she just loves prime numbers??

The highlight of the day took place beneath the bows of an ancient Apple tree at the farm in Rhos on Wye. Unfortunately during the storms in the winter of 2013, the Apple tree which was incredibly old, was blown down. 

 My daughter was very sad until I pointed out that the Apple tree had stood for years and years waiting for the young boy who climbed in its bows to grow up and choose a wife, just as his God father had done before him. The tree was now happy to pass as it had witnessed their vows and its life was now complete....

To honour the tree and the marriage of Lisa and Steve I wrote another poem ….

The Apple tree …...

The Apple tree does not stand silent

As we hold hands beneath its bows,

It whispers, rustles, sways and settles

As we say aloud our vows.

The Apple tree is full of noise

As insect, bird and critters sing,

All are busy but all are watching

As you pass to me a wedding ring.

With this ring I will wed you,

Beneath the Apple tree,

The birds are our choir,

The tree is our witness,

As I twine myself with thee.

After the tree fell, it was chainsawed into pieces but Lisa and Steve were able to save a few pieces. These were then passed onto me and once it has dried sufficiently, ie in the spring, and as I work in a Wood craft Shop, I plan to turn the pieces into a baby chair so the tree can continue to be part of their lives

That ending brought me nicely to the next part of my speech …...

In August of this year Stephen and Lisa announced the wonderful news that they were expecting a baby. The first of the Next Generation, they then announced that they were going to 'Boldly go where no one had gone before' – OK that may be a bit dramatic but they were thinking of moving.

I was then asked what I wanted to be called by the new arrival.

Now when we are born we are given a name, we have no say in this, there is no consultation, there is no choice! But when we become Grand Parents we ARE given a choice, a choice with life changing repercussions. The name we choose for ourselves with the arrival of our first grandchild is the name we will then carry for the rest of our lives, for generations yet to come. This is something pretty MAJOR!!!!

So I wrote a poem!....

Baby Story

My daughter will soon be a Mommy

Which turns Mommy into a Gran

But I feel too young to be called Grandma

And they insist I cant stay Kerriann

So the search is on for a new name

For the soon new arrival to say

There is Nana or Nain or down south they say Mamgy

I suppose Nanny is sort of OK

But I've never been one for conforming

I love the freedom of being a Hippy

Hippy Gran I shall be ..Wait! There is my name

Drop the H she can just call me IPPY!!

I added for the record Debbie is going to be Nana Debbie and John is Pappy John

And so I reached the end of my speech ….

The End of the Beginning

And so we gather here on this glorious night

With feelings of both sadness and joy

For they are off to Singapore and that's a long way away

No more phone calls for me when she's bored

But we wish them the best

For this new stage of their lives

For we secretly wish we could do it

But fear not my dear friends, we'll soon see them again

You do know we're all coming to visit!!

Smiles abounded, the couple in the corner got up to go to their table (even though the waitress had informed them twice that their table was ready) and we raised our glasses to Lisa and Steve.

Now although that is a story in its own right there was much more to follow!

While Lisa and Steve packed their bags and flew off to Singapore three days later, I climbed aboard Lady Sage and headed up to Scotland to see my Sister. I left Chester later than I had initially planned on Sunday November 23^rd,

(In the past week I had driven from Machynlleth to Southampton on November 16^th, Southampton to Chester then to Machynlleth on the 17^th, Machynlleth back to Southampton on the 18^th and then back up to Chester on the 19^th! I then drove to Machynlleth to pick up Lady Sage on the 20^th and was back up in Chester for the leaving meal on the 22^nd!!!! - I do enjoy driving lol )

By tea time on the 23^rd I crossed the Scottish border and turned left off the motorway. In the darkness I discovered a sign for Merkland Cross and turned right. Over the motorway and up a short hill I came to a small turning space and there I settled for the night.

In the distance the lights of the motorway glimmered and gleamed. High above the stars twinkled and in the distance bright red lights lit up hidden towers. I slept well that night and all was well.

The next morning I consulted the map and planned my route. The Border lands looked good, winding roads and mountains with a few possible night stops along the way. I finished breakfast and was soon rolling along the back roads to Lockerbie.

From Lockerbie I headed into the mountains, past hidden Buddhist retreats and huge sheep.

Acres of forest land lay all around me, opening out from time to time to expose huge ranges of hills.

Three timber lorries had accumulated behind me and as I was not in a rush I pulled over into a layby to let them pass. The view was breathtaking so I stopped the engine to get out.

Well I sort of stopped the engine. When I tried to turn the engine off with the key nothing happened! The key didn't turn and the engine didn't stop!! I tried again, shaking and rattling the key in the barrel. The key would turn forwards but not off!

I sat for a moment and thought. If it turned forward to could restart the engine. If I could restart the engine, I could stop it by stalling. I popped her into gear and stalled her. For the next half hour I cooked lunch and had a stroll around before, with a quick check of the map I got ready for the next part of my trip. I turned the key and although the engine turned over, Lady Sage refused to start. I tried again, Nothing. I reached for my phone to ask Peter's advice only to find I had no phone signal. No other cars had passed me during my lunch break, no one knew where I was and no one was expecting me for two days! I drank a glass of water and studied my options.

The lay by was on a very slight backward slope. If I could push Lady Sage back I should be able to reverse bump start her on the road way hill. I pushed until she began to move and then jumped as quickly as I could into the driver seat and pulled the wheel to aim me at the road. As the back wheels reached it I began to straighten up but hadn't gauged the width of Lady Sage correctly and within a few feet we ground to a halt as the back passenger wheel slipped into the shallow ditch that ran along side the road. I got out to look.

The back wheel was definitely in the ditch, we were also definitely on a backward slope. There was no possible way I was going to be able to push Lady Sage out of the ditch alone. I was also now on the road and not safe in a lay by so camping for the night was no longer a safe option. There was still no phone signal and no passing cars.

I admired the fir cones on a near by tree and ate some chocolate – I always think better with chocolate!

I put Lady Sage into gear and turned the key just to see what would happen. She lurched forward bumping the back wheel half out of the ditch. I tried it again to see if I could hop further out and this time we made it to the road. A third try, I reasoned, should get me totally clear of the ditch and I just might be back on track for that bump start that I had initially planned.

I turned the key a third time and was astounded when the engine roared into life!!!! We were alive and the roads to Edinburgh were ours again!

I debated stopping again to see if Lady Sage was fixed but decided to wait until I had phone signal and a good slope ahead of me. We trundled through the mountains, admiring the scenery but the hills had lost some of their attraction as I checked from time to time for phone reception.

I found a good hill to try my recovery experiment and stalled her Ladyship. The key still didn't turn, the engine still didn't start. We bump started and travelled onto the nearest garage, my wild camping was over for this trip!

At the first garage I found I was informed everyone was at lunch, at the second I was told to join the RAC and get towed home. 

Luckily for me at the third garage I met the most amazing man who after a wee bit of head scratching decided he could 'fix' the problem. If we could just remove the steering barrel I would be able (with a wee bit of coaching) to start the engine with a screwdriver!

We removed the barrel …. “Well I was na expecting that!” exclaimed my new best friend as the barrel fell into two pieces in his hand and the engine stopped!

He put the pieces together, turned them slightly and the engine fired up. Well at least that bit worked. The only hic cup we had with our cunning hot wiring plan was that as soon as you let go, the pieces fell apart and the engine stopped. 

I offered him a ride to the city if he would hold the pieces together while we drove. He smiled and we began to think of a new plan. Welding wouldn't allow the bits to turn, neither would tape. I suggested elastic bands, but he thought they would vibrate too much. We thought some more.

In the back of lady Sage is everything a girl could possible need – everything a girl and her bus could need! I fished out some wide knicker elastic, a safety pin and a scissors and in the flash of a blade I made a loop for my engine starting thingy ma gig to go into. My new best friend was a wee bit skeptical but as we maneuvered the bits in and turned them slightly Lady Sage roared into life. We turned the bits again and she stopped. On, Off, On, Off. We bumped the bits when she was on and she stayed on, we bumped the bits when she was off and she stayed off.

My new best friend and I were ecstatic. We both took some photos, he denied any responsibility, I agreed and we smiled. “I have ne seen ye lassy, you was neva here!” he beamed as I offered up a bottle of cider and a donation to the staff box!

Despite the incredible 'fixing' work Lady Sage now sported, I decided, as I was only 10 miles from Edinburgh, to go straight to my Sisters …. a day early.

To be continued …....