A Highland Fling.

Up and away to Glasgow Green early. We had planned to leave at 9.00am for the 10.00 performance when Candice thought she had made a mistake and we needed to be there by 9.00am! Breakfast was left, an Uber called and we arrived at 8.50 only to find that the division started at 9.00 but Hugo’s band were on at 10.00. Phew … and the coffee line was too long to get a much needed latte.

The boys performed well and around midday we were advised they had come first in the heats and thus made the finals and would play at 1302. The rain started on cue at 1303 although not heavy like Stirling Castle. They looked to me to play brilliantly but all the bands at this level are amazing. I chatted to another grandmother whose grandson played for Edinburgh Academy. She thought Scotch B band would win as they looked confident and played so well …. encouraging! The band due to play before Scotch did not appear so I thought they may have dropped out. Sometime later they were announced later in the order.

Candice and I went back to the B&B and she returned at 1700 for the presentations and massed bands. It was very cold and lots of walking and standing so I rested up in the comfort of the B&B.

The outcome was that in this year’s World Championships, Scotch Novice B team (Hugo’s) came 6th out of 28. The Scotch Novice A team came 3rd out of 11. A great effort and everyone is incredibly proud of them. It has been an amazing experience for not only the boys but also the parents and grandparents who came along for the journey.

Candice came back in an Uber and called me to be ready for a pickup out the front. We went to Hooligans and were so tired we ordered a pasta and a glass of wine before walking back to pack, blog, reel, and hopefully sleep!

I should mention that Glasgow appears to have more restaurants than any city I am aware of. One of the waiters said Melbourne is Australia’s Glasgow and I can see some similarities. I think Glasgow is more edgy and vibrant. It has some really lovely old buildings and young people abound (perhaps because we were staying in the university precinct). Like everywhere on this trip it would be nice to spend more time here.Read more