Politics!

Aberdeenshire East Hustings for the Scottish Parliament Elections and Gillian was centre stage. She faced a double whammy as it turned out, not only dealing with the other candidates (some quite sneery and some spectacularly cringeworthy when it came to drawing attention to themselves by gesturing to their entourage or asking for water or other sundries while other panel members were speaking), but also dealing with what were clearly audience plants whose questions were rarely questions at all but excuses for planted statements from angry old men spitting bile based on selective information...and they had selective hearing too. It Was truly enough to test the patience of a saint and put you off politics, and that was just me, goodness knows how Gillian kept her cool, but that she did.

Annoyingly, the twee and glib factor was riding high in the political responses churned out by the more seasoned panellists, including a cringeworthy west life/boy zone get off your chair moment that even the candidate's own supporters looked visibly uncomfortable with. Pre-referendum they might of got away with it but folk are more switched on now, it just doesn't wash any more. behaviour, conduct, personal integrity, believability, how genuine someone seems.... if the candidates or parties at large don't address that, they are going to wither on the vine (even more) in the future. The one thing that was clear was that few if any undecided folk go to hustings, it's mainly candidates entourages, and the questions are from entourage plants. But as for Gillian and her team, they are throwing themselves into learning more and more every day, and learners are always winners.

We saw a badger run across our path on the way home, a wee boost to the soul.