Poet laureate and Scottish Makar

What a full on day at the book frstival. After meeting #2 daughter and her chum, we started with the Open Book being recorded for radio 4 with the delightful Mariella .Fostrup, then went in to hear A L Kennedy speak about her new book. She was hilarious (she has done stand up) and is very brainy. I loved her readings from the book but don't think I could cope with 400 pages of a couple trying to do lunch. On leaving we saw an old friend from Cumbria but she was dashing for her train, then we caught up with fellow Blipper Arclight who gave us some tickets for the Dangerous Women reception. Before that though the wonderful Jackie Kay, Makar, and Carol Anne Duffy, read us some of their poems. They were in turn hilarious, poignant and tear jerking. The blip is of me getting a replacement copy of Trumpet signed (somebody borrowed my original copy and didn't return it). I last met Jackie in Suffolk when she'd come to do a workshop at school and a friend and I took her out for a drink. She's just lovely, so warm.
When we recovered we joined Arclight for a very nice blackberry gin and prosecco cocktail, then heard a chap talking about voices in our head.
A little bite at Harvey Nicks and then the train over the bridge to Fife to end a perfect day.
My daughter took the extra of the blip meet with Arclight.