Step we gaily

I can now reveal the secret of the "family gathering" that TMLHereandThere / Tanya and I have been referring to in oblique terms! It is none other than my mother's second wedding!

My mother and her intended husband announced their engagement plans some time ago, but we had been asked to keep it low-profile until all the relatives had been informed.. But now, the date is set, the plane tickets booked, the trumpeter primed, and the outfits bought. The invitation arrived today. I was a little sad that it didn't have a deckle edge, but I suppose I could hand-tear it! I am a paper-fetishist but don't do papermaking because I don't like having my hands wet for long periods.

My mother Kirsty is is 78, her husband-to-be, Kim, is in his eighties, so we've been urging them to get on with it! They've known each other for 41 years. Now that the cards have been sent out, I can mention it. We've bought our plane tickets and outfits, and the musicians (pipers, a trumpeter and an organist) have been booked. I shall have to phone to ask what the hymns are, since my mother and Kim have sung in the same choir for years and years.

My mother has left her house on Loch Etive side ( leaving behind her large collection of books and paperwork) which is why I was so busy cleaning it last summer. My sister Kate is living there now, with her family, so we can still visit and stay.

I don't want to say much more now, because I am sure I write too much most days. It's been a more-than-averagely-busy Tuesday.