Last night we went to the Aye Write book festival at the Mitchell Library with Heather & Ewan. It was one of those perfect evenings, a combination of interest, fun and relaxation. We went to two events.
The first was Barry Cryer and Graeme Garden talking about their radio show Hamish and Dougal which started as a sketch on I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue. They chatted about it and read some excerpts. I enjoyed their confident laid-back manner - they are a couple of old pros who know their trade very well and it was a pleasure to listen to them. Their sketches were funny in a witty wordplay sort of way which appeals to me. I loved one sketch where Graeme Garden said "Goodbye then, I'm going to go now" and the Barry Cryer did an aside to the audience, plotting against him, and then Graeme Garden repeated "Goodbye then, I'm going to go now!", thus showing that he was still there! That's the kind of radio joke that has me laughing aloud sometimes when I'm driving along in the car.
Then we went for a curry to Mr Singhs nearby in Elderslie Street. I don't think I've been there before, the food was great and got James' approval - he is very fussy about his curries! Our second event was Sarah Waters talking about her novels including Fingersmith, Tipping the Velvet, and The Little Stranger which is the only one of her books that I have read. Before we went into the lecture theatre we saw Will Gompertz, the BBC news Arts Editor, interviewing authors beside the steps. I lingered as much as possible as I went past in the hope that I may appear on some arts programme. Sarah Waters was a very good speaker, quietly confident, knowledgable, and expertly supported with questions from her editor from Virago. I was impressed by how she calmly considered each question before answering in detail. To add to my pleasure it was the launch of World Book Night so we all got free copies of Fingersmith! The night was still young so we went to The Pony and had drinks and talked and had a laugh. Excellent evening!
Today we went to Dundee with Grandma to visit Jamie, it’s always so lovely to see him and he made us a coffee in his flat which he shares with five other medical students. Jamie’s flat makes me glad I’m not a student. The living room is spacious but all cluttered with plates of half eaten food lying about, empty bottles, the carpet is all stained and everything is kind of sticky. Jamie’s own room is actually quite tidy. He’s happy there which is the important thing. The weather was dry but not very spring like yet, so we only had a short walk on Broughty Ferry beach after lunch at the Glass Pavilion. The wind was biting. Jamie's exams are during the 3rd week of April so he has a busy time ahead. Back to Glasgow for a light supper, James, Ally and Davie were watching one of their favourite programmes at the moment, “Human Planet”. Good weekend.
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