ISSUE 80 SUMMER EDITION 2019

Polwarth Parish Church Polwarth 36–38 Polwarth Terrace EH11 1LU Tel: 0131 346 2711

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.polwarth.org.uk

www.facebook.com/ polwarthparishchurch

Office Hours:

Tuesday 9.00am–1.00pm

Thursday 10.30am–1.30pm

Friday 2.00pm–6.00pm

Summer suns are glowing over land and sea — So begins the old hymn that people of certain generations will have learnt at school. Minister: Rev. Jack Holt For ministers, it can be a problematic hymn; inevitably, on the Sunday chosen for it Tel: 0131 441 6105 to be sung, summer suns are not glowing and the good, old-fashioned British ‘summer’ Email: is pouring from the skies! However, whatever the actual weather condition, we hope [email protected] that the life and work of our church will shine brightly from the pages of our summer edition, reflecting the breadth of our mission and service, and the depth of our commitment and devotion. So, please, enjoy your magazine, and make sure that at least Registered Scottish Charity: one person outside of the congregation gets to read the magazine after you. SCO04183 And tell those with devices they will find it on our website: www.polwarth.org.uk. Church of Scotland Reference: 010115 By Jack Holt.

Our monthly cycle of services that has been focusing weekly on a

Person of the Trinity linked to a worship practice of the early church, and

concluding with a celebration of the Sacrament of Communion on

the last Sunday of the month, comes to an end in June.

Polwarth is a safe place for all people It looks as though June will have a number of stand-alone services. to worship regardless of age, race, creed, cultural 9th June is Pentecost Sunday, and this year our Congregational Worship Team background or sexual orientation. will lead the service and celebrate the Church’s birthday with a party! But we do more than worship: we provide 16th June is Father’s Day. The 23rd June is the Sunday we’ll introduce our a community location partners on the Canal Project, People Know How, to the congregation an enhancement to the environment a means to overcome stress and loss. (for more on the events around this Sunday, see the separate article).

In July and August, we return to our annual Summer Sabbath services. we do more than worship: we care th about people in all stages and conditions of life, These services are less formal, and more reflective. But 16 July will also be about poverty and homelessness special, because we shall be dedicating a new church furnishing in memory about fairness and justice. of the late Andy Hunter, gifted by his widow, Anne Hunter.

we do more than worship: we grow, Jack is taking his annual leave late this year, which means that the learning how to live as followers of Jesus Congregational Worship Team or pulpit supply will lead most of the services discovering the value of faith and prayer in September. This includes the annual Guild Week Service, which this year living a common life in community. has been moved from November to September. This service will focus on our

we do more than worship: we share partnership with CrossReach, the Church of Scotland’s Social Care Council, the stories of what we do and introduce our Guild’s support for their ‘Join Up the Dots’ project. work in partnership with other agencies making sure all are included. By Jack Holt.

So sang the company of the musical Carousel. But this year, In addition to this, we will have our annual participation in the it is a month that has a lot happening for Polwarth Church, Edinburgh Canal Festival on Saturday 15th June, when we hope mostly relating to our Canal and Gardens work. We are reaching to officially and formally mark the start of this pioneering an exciting point in our canal project and success will naturally partnership. Before that, on Wednesday 12th June, there will be depend on the whole of the congregation taking ownership of it. the official opening of a new section of our canal garden, which June will be an opportunity to get involved; familiarise ourselves pays respect to the nurses who served during WW1 and used with the story - including the providence of God in the twists and the canals of France and Belgium to transport injured soldiers. turns; take a leap of faith and choose to participate, where possible, Again, more on these events can be found elsewhere in in bringing this five year project to life. the magazine.

The congregation is aware that we have entered into a partnership On Sunday 23rd June, our morning worship service will be a with an Edinburgh based charity, People Know How. celebration of our Canal Partnership with People Know How. Together, we hope the church will become the owners of a boat for Glenn Liddall, CEO of People Know How, will tell the five years. People Know How will use the boat in their work with congregation about the charity’s current work with children, children and young people from schools across Edinburgh and explain how this will be enhanced by our shared canal project. throughout the year. Polwarth Church will use the boat as a mobile It is also the final consultation day using the Lochrin Belle, and mission station to introduce the community to Christ the Healer. we hope to take some of the congregation for a short cruise on Jointly, we envisage using the boat as a venue for cultural and the canal—while completing the consultation exercise, which is social events that encourage community cohesion and positive aimed at the membership and wider community. So, we need the engagement with the . To test these aspirations, and present congregation to work hard to bring other people to church to gain knowledge of what the local community might want from that Sunday, so that we can consult as widely as possible. having a boat as a community asset, the church and the charity have arranged to hire the Re-union boat, Lochrin Belle, on a number of Meanwhile, on Thursday 13th June, Jack and Lance will put dates in June. This enables us to trial run People Know How’s work together a summer evening soiree with, we hope, suitable with children, and to allow community consultation to take place. refreshment served in the interval. This is a further opportunity for Sandra Holt has written in more detail about this venture, made the congregation to work hard bringing other people to church over possible by securing funding from the Church of Scotland’s this weekend of special events. Monies raised from the evening will Go For It Fund, elsewhere in this edition. go to church funds.

On 12th May this year, Jack marked the eighth anniversary of his induction

to the charge of Polwarth Church. This actually has some significance

because there have only been four previous ministers of Polwarth Church:

Douglas Murray (1981–1989), William Brown (1990–1998),

John McMahon (1998–2004) and Linda Dunbar (2005–2010).

The numbers show that as Jack enters his ninth year, he becomes the longest

serving minister in the short history of Polwarth Church! WE REJOICE WITH THEM…JOYFULLY! On 21st April, the following were ordained and admitted as ruling elders of this congregation: Claire Elizabeth Holmyard, Mike Holmyard, Rob Stapley, Averill Stapley, Astrid Daphne Telfer, Alison Kristina Joyce Wright. The two being admitted were Peter Braynion and Pauline Rumbles.

WE WILL REMEMBER THEM…FONDLY: George Bertram: 20th October 1921–27th April 2019

George was born in Watson Crescent and grew up in Temple Park Crescent. He was raised in the John Ker Church, then, when he married his wife, Beryl, moved with her to the then Candlish Memorial Church. There, he continued to be a faithful worshipper and active participant in the life and work of the congregation, serving for a time as Clerk to the Congregational Board. He worked for a law firm in Edinburgh and was a lifelong Hearts supporter. George moved into Cluny Lodge Nursing Home over a decade ago and, as his dementia increased, his visits to the church became confined to the Inreach bi-annual afternoon communion services and their annual outing.

Easter Piccolage NEWS OF OUR MISSION PARTNER REV. JOHN MCULLOCH

John reports that recently he had the privilege, along Hymn 40 with colleague Rev. Kate McDonald, and his wife, Annette, of meeting some of the members of Your hand O God Physicians for Human Rights Israel (PHRI), one of the Church of Scotland’s partners in Israel. has guided your flock Established in 1988, it has been reaching out to all people, not only bringing medical facilities to the from age to age. Palestinian Territories but also campaigning for an end A wonderful hymn of comfort written in 1889, when to Israeli occupation and calling for a solution based on there was considerable animosity between churches of social justice and equal rights to all people. PHRI is a different denominations. great example of an organisation working on the ground The author, The Reverend Edward Hayes Plumptre prepared to reach out across divisions. wrote several volumes of poems and numerous hymns. He was educated at Kings College, London, and Annette, who is a doctor, was part of the PHRI outreach University College, Oxford. He quickly became clinic team who visited the village of Saida in the famous as a scholar, theologian and preacher. province of Tulkarem. The team of Jewish, Israeli, He enjoyed a sparkling theological career, eventually Palestinian and international doctors was taken by bus being appointed as Dean of Wells Cathedral. from Jerusalem to the clinics and on the way there It is said of him “As a writer of sacred poetry he ranks discussed how they would organise themselves at each very high. His hymns are elegant in style, fervent in clinic. They also shared stories and Annette discovered spirit and broad in treatment”. that one of the Jewish doctors had been supporting these The words are a bold assertion that God has never clinic visits for 20 years. failed us throughout the ages and will not fail us now or in the future. Often the hymn is seen as a cry for 3,000 people live in Saida village where there is a GP Christian Unity illustrated very firmly in verse two who visits twice a week. There is no other medical cover ‘To all alike proclaiming one Church, one faith, despite requests from individual villagers and the village one Lord’. council for a medical centre, but Annette explains that At a time when traditional Church attendance is in this is unlikely ever to happen due to funding issues. decline it is all the more important to take to our The PHRI clinic provides medical care for 130 women, hearts those whose interpretations may differ from many of whom have untreated chronic conditions. our own. The Church of Scotland has 'lost' 65% of its Annette describes seeing one child who was an insulin communicants in the last two decades. dependent diabetic receiving no ongoing supervision of Yet, I have experienced at times of funerals that her condition so having to cope with injecting insulin on although there has been no visible signs of Church her own using old fashioned syringes which are highly attendance the person who had died had, in fact, dangerous. This visit by PHRI was able to give held a deep personal faith. medication and psychological support to a community badly affected by Israeli occupation. John Roberts. Loraine Haugh. World Labyrinth Day Saturday 4th May 2019

To mark this occasion the Polwarth Labyrinth Team ran its first Many people drew inspiration for their walk from our FULL DAY event which was entitled ‘For Healing and Peace’. PEACE display which moved through a transition from In the morning we had three taster meditation sessions held ‘Man’s inhumanity to Man makes countless thousands mourn’ in the sanctuary: a seated meditation led by Willie Grieve, (Robert Burns) to embracing diversity, respecting and accepting, a mindfulness walking meditation led by Myra Rothwell, valuing and caring for others, leading to a care for nature and and a Capacitar Tai Chi meditation led by Nancy Adams. the environment to Robert Burns’s vision: There was such a sense of calmness, peace and wellbeing which set the tone for the rest of the day. ‘For a’ that an’ a’ that, Packed lunches, tea and coffee were enjoyed in our church café. In the afternoon we had the labyrinth walk for World Peace. It’s comin’ yet for a’ that.

There were two labyrinths to walk this day. In addition to our That Man to Man’ the world o’er, beautiful seven circuit labyrinth varnished on the sanctuary floor, we had a wonderful unique five circuit rope labyrinth created on Shall brothers be for a’ that.’ the lawn by Geetam and Paula, two of our labyrinth team. Each labyrinth provided the walker with a different experience.

Around 15 people took part in the meditations and 30 people came for the World Labyrinth Day Peace Walk.

Audrey, Maureen and Dawn, from the Canal Garden group, were welcoming and hospitable hosts.

IT WAS AN AMAZING DAY.

Margaret Anderson (Labyrinth Team). GUID BLETHERS

The 'Guid Blethers' and 'Scrabble' groups had a very memorable outing on Friday 29th March to Boroughmuir High School. Jonny Else, Head of PE, at Boroughmuir High School had invited us to take part in a community What a great variety of subjects we have had in the project being offered by S5/6 pupils as part of their last few months. The Church’s Musical Director 'sports leadership' course. Fifteen of us arrived at the Lance Whitehead entertained us with his classical piano school at 9.30am! The senior pupils proudly took us on playing ranging from Bach to Mozart and then we a tour of their amazing new school. This was followed by listened to and discussed some of his favourite tunes. seated exercises to lively music with two of the pupils We have blethered about books, magazines and leading. During refreshments the Head Teacher warmly newspapers with group members bringing in books welcomed us. Astrid thanked him for spending time with that are very special to them. Len did a presentation us. Jonny Else said, ‘I really need to thank you for coming of interesting local heritage including the history of along with your group on Friday. It was a wonderful Happy Valley and Edinburgh’s Wild West connections. experience for our young people and it was great to meet Hobbies & Interests was a fascinating subject with your group and chat away to them. I’m glad they enjoyed Margaret talking about and looking at photos of the the tour and the exercises.’ He sent some photos. wonderful Victorian doll’s house created by her brother and sister-in-law, taking 12 years. Everyone became Margaret Anderson. enthralled by the sheer detail of the family and staff, the furnishings and the Victorian ambiance. Music Through the Years had our members singing along to songs from 1940s to 1970s and wanting to get up and dance! At Imagine we were imagining how things could be or could have been. April Fool had us blethering about traditions of April Fool, huntygowk and pulling your leg. We watched a selection of amusing films that have had people fooled. For Spring Clean, Audrey was dressed up for action recalling all the jobs to give the house a Spring Clean, including the visit from the chimney sweep. Edinburgh’s Exhibitions included 1886 International Exhibition in Meadows and an Exhibition closer to home. Where? We begin our summer break after our 3rd June meeting which is called Room 101. We will start up again on 16th September.

Happy Blethering.

Len, Margaret and Audrey. By Jack Holt.

The LORD be with you…And also with you. Over the today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not next few months we will go through the season we call much more clothe you—you of little faith? (Matthew ‘summer’. We have high hopes that it will be a time 6:28-30). when the sun shines often and warmly (though maybe As well as discovering the truth through scripture, there not too warmly!) through clear blue skies. It is when are the many poets who have done the hard work for us. nature’s profusion of colour - the scent of flora and They have looked long and hard at some aspect of fauna—is seen and smelt in countryside, parks and nature—from the vista to the single flower; from the gardens. ocean to the droplet; from the mightiest mammal to the It is when we can stand on a sandy shore and watch the smallest of insects, until its internal truth is revealed. waves come joyously crashing home in wild arrays of In nature they have found the reason to be filled with white plumes—or listen, as pebble beaches are rolled wonder, awe, humility, joy, rapture, and gratitude—and back and forth under the power of the incoming tide. expressed it all through their keen use of words and It is when a sunset can turn the sky into a palette of images. colours that dazzle the eyes. For that’s the real truth about finding God in nature. The Bible makes it clear that nature’s landscape, when It isn’t self-evident. That is why the scientist—be they closely observed and thoughtfully contemplated, can be botanist, astrologist, physicist, or zoologist—can declare a window through which God can be apprehended. with certainty that God is not present in their Paul, writing to the Christian community in Rome, observations. stated that: Ever since the creation of the world his But the scientists cannot tell us why nature, when eternal power and divine nature, invisible though they considered, watched, mediated upon, should move us at are, have been understood and seen through the things all, never mind bring forth the emotional and spiritual he has made. (Romans 1:20). The Psalmist declared: responses of wonder, awe, humility, joy, rapture, and The heavens are telling the glory of God; and the gratitude from the depth of our being! firmament proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours So, let’s hope this will be a memorable summer for the forth speech, and night to night declares knowledge. right reasons. That we all get the opportunity to enjoy the (Psalm19:1-2). And, of course, Jesus encouraged people beauty and magnificence of the natural order, and that we to practise discovering the presence of divinity in nature make the time, as another poet put it, to stop and stare. when he said: Consider the lilies of the field, how they In that moment, the senses will engage and open the grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even window of the soul and present the living presence of Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. God. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive Until next time…The Lord Bless You and Keep You. One Journey, Many Roads 2018/2019 SESSION

Our 2018/19 Session ended with our Coffee Morning at the end Guild Week this year will be September 8th –15th, and on of March. All proceeds went to one of the Church of Scotland’s Guild Sunday (8th) during the Service we will have a Speaker Guild Projects, The Free to Live Trust (Seema’s Project). from CrossReach to talk to us about their Join Up The Dots Project You will recall that during Guild Week in November 2018 which is one of the six Church of Scotland Guild Projects and a Retiral Collection was held at Polwarth with the proceeds going the project that Polwarth Guild will be supporting next Session. to this Project. You will also recall that the aim of this Project The project aims to combat loneliness and social isolation was to: wherever it exists in Scotland. More about this project in the next edition of Update. 1. Start a lunch programme for children of the red-light district in Pune, India. The Guild starts its new Session on 2. Double the number of children cared for at a recently Monday 14th October 2019 built home. and the great news is 3. Rescue and rehabilitate some of the trafficked WE HAVE MOVED to an afternoon. sex workers. The new time is 2pm–4pm 4. Provide skills and training for the teenagers when in the Small Hall. they leave school. We have a diverse programme of speakers—some on serious Our Coffee Morning raised £484.00. Many thanks to all who topics and others more entertaining. We have fun and we simply supported us. The Retiral Collection held in November raised enjoy each other’s company. So please come along and join us. £107.40 which makes a total of £591.40 for The Free to Live Trust A warm welcome awaits you. (Seema’s Project). The Guild was also able to donate to the following charities Audrey Downie, Secretary. this Session: Fresh Start, The Church of Scotland HIV Project, Polwarth Church Funds, VOCAL and The Rock Trust.

Highlights of the Session are too many to mention but there are a couple of Speakers that when I think of their talk it brings a smile to my face, one being when Margret Barr (the wife of the Rev. Dr. Russell Barr) told us stories from the year that Russell was the Church of Scotland Moderator. The talk was entitled ‘Confessions of a Moderator’s Wife’. It was extremely amusing and very enlightening. It was interesting to hear about their time abroad and at home in 2016. Another Speaker was Jim McCarthy who came along and spoke about his time in Africa. The talk was entitled ‘African Anecdotes’. Jim spoke very amusingly of his travels and National Service in Africa.

We also welcomed 4 new members to the Guild: Margaret, Margo, Pat and Astrid. Great news but still plenty room for growth and we still would like to encourage others to come along.

On Easter Saturday we welcomed the Moderator of the Church of Scotland the Right Rev. Susan Brown and Iain Whyte, General Secretary of the Guild, along with Edinburgh Guild members and leaders of the Boys and Girls Brigade as they started from Polwarth Church to do their BIG Footprint Walk, All generations walking together! They returned to Polwarth for refreshments. Float The Boat Awarded Go For It Grant! Sandra Holt.

The partnership between Edinburgh charity People Know How People Know How will use it to take its Positive Transitions and Polwarth Parish Church—to Float The Boat for wholeness Service to the water with science workshops for P7 children and wellbeing—is delighted and encouraged to receive from schools across Edinburgh. Be sure to stop and say ‘hello’ a Pilot Grant of almost £5000 from the Church of Scotland to the children and volunteers as they visit Polwarth Church Go For It Fund. This fund seeks to facilitate change in church and Pontoon for the first time. and community and our grant will be used to run an exploratory programme of activities and consultations from People Know How plan to attend the activities run by 29th May until 23rd June 2019. Our purpose is to consult with Polwarth Church on Lochrin Belle and in the Canal Gardens. the community about our aspirations for bringing wholeness The activities aim to bring families and people of all and wellbeing to our community and to explore the generations together for fun and conversation. They are your practicalities of the partnership owning and running its own opportunity to explore with others your thoughts on the project boat when funds permit. and our aspirations for it. Bring your neighbours and friends along; we want to know their thoughts too! So What Are Our Aspirations? Dates For Your Diary: We aspire to be a community of faith confidently introducing Christ The Healer to all and offering Polwarth Kirk as a unique ● Tuesday 11th June 2019, 10am–1.30pm: Polwarth Church hub for wholeness and wellbeing in the city of Edinburgh. will host its Pop-Up Café on the moored Lochrin Belle and Canal Gardens. How will we do this? th We will do this together by: ● Wednesday 12 June 2019, 10am–12 noon: The Canal Shed will enjoy a cruise on Lochrin Belle. ● Developing a canal-based Christian community to nurture Christian faith within and beyond the walls of Polwarth Also on 12th June at 12 noon an important new garden Church. will be opened located to the left of the deck area. See Canal Garden on page 11 for details. ● Increasing positive engagement with the Union Canal through cultural, social and spiritual events. ● Saturday 15th June 2019, 2pm–4pm: The community will be welcomed to Gateaux for the Bateaux—an afternoon ● Increasing intergenerational community cohesion with tea in the Canal Gardens as our part of the Edinburgh a model of gathering, sharing, doing and celebrating Canal Festival and Raft Race. This will also be the official together. launch of the partnership between Polwarth Church and People Know How. ● Hosting People Know How’s Positive Transitions Service canal based work with young people and their families in ● Sunday 23rd June 2019: The congregation and community partner schools across Edinburgh. will enjoy after service refreshments and conversation aboard the Lochrin Belle and up to 30 will be able to take a short cruise. Interested? Then be part of the Pilot Programme and Consultation. Put these dates in your diary and attend as many as you Look out for the Lochrin Belle which will be moored at can manage. Speak to Sandra Holt, Pauline Rumbles, the Polwarth Pontoon on different days during the three weeks Maureen Bowman or Jack Holt if you can offer any assistance from 29th May 2019. to help these events run happily.

Together we can Go for It! Polwarth Church, through the Labyrinth; it is because Jesus healed, and still the Kirk on the Canal, heals, that we partner with EMMS International to see a Place of Wholeness and more midwives trained in Malawi, and why we will Wellbeing—this is how we partner with CrossReach to support their social care work describe ourselves as a in Edinburgh. It is also why we support Bethany Christian congregation. But, we are Trust and Freshstart; why we run Guid Blethers; maintain also The Body of Christ, and this means we seek to a branch of The Guild, and created a pop-up café. express something of our Head, Jesus, in who we are It is also why, as a congregation, we have signed up to and in everything we do. The aspect of the Person and our Charter of Compassion: because we are the Body of the Ministry of Jesus that is most reflected in our Christ the Healer. present mission—also in our service to the community, city and wider world—is his power and compassion to We hope that by making this connection between heal. Christ is the Healer; hence we seek to be a place of Body and Head we will more clearly see the wholeness and wellbeing. Christian witness and service working in and through all our activities, which constitutes our mission. It is because Jesus healed, and still heals, that we are engaging with the community through the canal in the manner we are seeking to do; it is because Jesus healed, and still heals, that we promote our activities and events Jack Holt.

We hope you have noticed how the new There will be a special bench, generously flower bed, ‘The Scented Garden’, has begun donated by Scotmid, on which people may sit to flourish. The beautiful bright red tulips are and enjoy the peace of the canal and the plants the ones which we received as our prize last in colourful plant boxes made by members of year from The Green Health Awards. the Canal Shed at Polwarth. A sign, being Look out for the scented roses in due course. crafted by Tiphereth, has been donated by Professor Yvonne McEwen of Scotland’s War On Wednesday 12th June at 12 noon a new 1914–1919. garden will be opened located to the left of the deck area. This will be known as Maureen Bowman. ‘The Peace Garden’—it is dedicated to the personnel who used the canal systems in France and Belgium in WW1 to transport the badly injured more comfortably than by road.

We’ve waited for a long time to see the cygnets and ducklings. So here they are – nine cygnets and six ducklings so far. Will they swim down to see our pontoon and canalside gardens? THE JOY OF GARDENS

LORAINE HAUGH.

Gardens are such important spaces; they help us connect The smells in a garden can take us back so quickly to a with nature and give us green spaces to enjoy and plant things childhood memory. We lived in a rambling Bank house and in. They help us observe new growth, grow things for healthy it had lots of gardens and trees. A smell of a home grown eating, and places to just be still in—allowing time to slow tomato will take me back to Dad’s greenhouse and Dad down and just soak in the peace. I often, after a busy spell, pulling a tomato from the plant to give us to eat—the smell of sit in Polwarth Church Gardens—quietly—letting the green an old fashioned grown tomato is wonderful! The taste too!! space take me to a calm inner peace after the loudness and The smell of sweet peas takes me right back to watching Dad craziness of some days!!!! Our garden stands for tranquility plant these tiny seeds in little peat pots and bringing them on and peace. It beckons people to come in and sit, and feel in the greenhouse, eventually planting them out into the this peace. The act of gardening is so good for us too. I enjoy garden. The scent was so special and Mum would put the pottering about pulling out weeds and touching a flower or sweet peas in a vase on the piano and the whole room would a shrub—smelling it. All important when our lives can be so fill with this amazing scent. taken up with computers, mobiles and fast pace living. Gardens provoke such memories of childhood. I remember I recently spent time with my sister. She lost her husband very climbing trees in the garden with Calum who lived next door. suddenly after a 5 month battle with cancer 15 months ago. We climbed a favourite chestnut tree as a look out post! They both created a beautiful garden. My sister is a very Our whole play time after school was spent in our gardens creative gardener and brought many special stones from Skye among the trees and grounds playing in the summer house, where they used to live and other places they visited. playing cowboys and indians, hide and seek, etc. It was so She arranges these stones in features exciting too when Mum would say about her gardens; creating focal on a lovely summer’s afternoon to points and surprise areas. Her plants, have our tea in the garden. We all shrubs and trees etc., all remind her would carry the rugs to the grass up of her dear husband of 52 years. It is in the top garden, and a procession of not simple for her and she told me us would carry up sandwiches and she finds the gardens make her feel Mum’s home baking; then we all sad as she misses her husband every tucked in and enjoyed being single day. Yet she remembers them surrounded by flowers and trees, creating a part of the garden, digging hearing the clucking of the hens and out enormous boulders, forming the buzzing of the bees. The family rockeries and features and choosing dogs would sit and watch the outdoor plants and shrubs. Remembering this gives her a comfort. feast anticipating the odd crumb! My late Mum and Dad always brought a stone back from their holiday places—usually up North or the Islands. My Mum was from up North—outside Stonehaven in a small Dad would paint the name of the place on them and put them country area called Rickarton along the Old Slug Road. in the garden as a reminder of the special memories of My Grandfather had beautiful gardens too. An expression the places visited. used for a cup of tea in this area was “fly cup” usually shortened to “fly”. I can remember Gran shouting to As children we just enjoyed the gardens Grandad his “fly” was ready and Grandad and played and looked after the animals. would leave whatever job he was doing in I now know what a work it was for both the garden and head in to have his Mum and Dad to create such beautiful “fly”!!!! I still say “fly”!!! gardens and space that not only looked beautiful, but gave us amazing fruit and When Dad finished in the Bank at 5pm, vegetables and a wonderful place to play he would come home and change out of and grow in—to learn from a young age his suit into his flannels and shirt, and out to appreciate nature and wildlife and into the garden! His joys were flowers, growing things. plants, and growing things; digging the earth to plant potatoes,