Menootnaboot; Edinburgh

Originally, I had intended to visit uncles and an aunt in the Borders before heading to Auld Reekie. However, I'd forgotten this was a leap year. Our late Maestro departed life eight years ago on February 29th. I wanted to be with Mac1 on this day - and anyway, I hadn't visited our parents' markers (in the same cemetery) since moving back to the Hutch in 2021. I left Selkirk Rugby Ground Park a little after nine in the morning and arrived in the city by 1015h. I made a spontaneous dash into the hand washers because The Grey had turned an unhealthy mud colour due to all the atrocious weather and road gritting and salting. Lickety-split, fifteen minutes and fifteen quid later, he was all spruced up!

I was at my sister's place before eleven. Mac2 had also come up for the occasion. The day was bitterly cold, but, as you see, the sun favoured us. Mind you, it took until 1400h to get everyone moving as one, and we took off in Grey, first to the garden centre for some plants, then over to Corstorphine on the other side of the city, where the very fine grounds are that our loved ones rest.

Amy's tree is growing strong and straight. She had opted for a natural burial, and a mighty fine forest is forming here. Mac1 did a bit of trimming and pruning, and then we sang her a song. We took an ussie before heading over to the other marker.

At Mum and Dad's spot, the younger ones started digging and planting the two pots they had bought earlier. Once they were done, we stood and sang them a couple of tunes before taking another ussie to mark the occasion.

...and then, well, it's a Mac Clan tradition...

Thank goodness for The Grey because just as we left the cemetery, down came the rain! We had been blessed for the time we needed the dry.

On return to Mac1's home, I took the chance of a full shower and washed out some underwear, which she hung by the radiator and which was dry in the 90 minutes we spent nattering into the evening! I drove Grey up the road to get a full charge on, then back to Mac1's to sleep for the night. I had brekky with them in the morning, saw Mac2 off back to London and then drove over to Fife...