Happy Father's Day

[margaretmcgettigan]

Hi Reg. How moving your story was about the passing of your Dad...But then how lucky were you to be with him to spend those final moments with him...Isn't if funny how things fall into place when we need them most to go well...The Asian nurse and the couple on the road who helped you...That, I believe, is not coincidence..someone was watching over you.

Now about the cycling, I, along with my friends, used to be cyclist groupies...Every Easter and September weekend, we would rent rooms in Rothesay and go "doon the water" to see our clubs...Now for the life of me I cannot remember them...There was the climb up the Serpentine and then the race around the Isle of Bute. We had great times and in the evenings we were off to the Pavillion for the dancing...We did not go into the pubs but we would go to the licensed grocers in the afternoon and get a gill of gin for about seven or eight of us and have a wee drink out of the bottle on the way to the dance...Now a gill was not a lot of drink but we thought we had a wee buzz on going in and meeting all the boys..

You must be an accomplished cyclist doing that tour in six days...Have you ever competed in the "Tour de France?" Cycling here in the Unites States is very big now and in New York City they have bikes on racks strewn around the city that you can rent and ride..I think you pick them up at one spot and drop them off at another...Also, there are marked bike lanes all over the city now...I think someone said they were trying to copy London.

We are having a heat wave over here at the moment...For the past few days the temps have been in the 90's and very high humidity...Never ever did get accustomed to the heat so we just stay indoors in the air conditioning...I wish I could parcel it up and send it home to you all.
Best Regards, Margaret, gbya

[amelia]

Hi Margaret and All
I remember my sister got my dad to buy a bike from the TEC in Bridge St my mother went "aff her heid" cannot remember what it cost but it was a green BSA with the cover over the bicycle chain. After she got fed up with it I got it, all my pals had bikes so we used to cycle up to Waterfoot which is not far from Castlemilk, we thought coming from Salisbury St it was a million miles away but what great times we had. We used to meet a crowd of boys who all came from Polmadie there and at the weekend we would go up to the Calder or the Govanhill and watch for them when the lights came on at the interval that's when you so all the talent I remember the guy that I fancied "lumbered" this lassie home and we followed them cursing her upside down I think she finished up marrying him so that was my first romance up in the air I remember seeing him years after that and laughed my head off when I saw him he had a big heid sitting on top of his wee shoulders and here me thinking he was like Tony Curtis
Amelia x

[Granny911]

Hi Reg
Thanks for your kind comments.
Your story about your Dad (and also the other stories on this topic) were really touching. I agree with Margaret about it not being a coincidence about the Nurse and the people you met on the road afterwards. I don't believe in coincidences either and truly believe these are signs we're being watched over.
Yes it was really difficult growing up without a Mother, but I was so lucky to have my Dad and for such a long time. Your story of dancing with your daughter brought a flood of memories back to times when I was wee and would dance with my Dad, usually on top of his feet. Also remember as a teenager he tried to teach me how to waltz. I was rubbish at that but he tried anyway. I'm very lucky Reg to have a son and daughter whom I am really close with. My daughter also has a daughter and I'm thrilled that she's a right wee Granny's girl. My son has recently become a Dad to a wee boy, so I feel really fortunate and blessed for my kids, their kids and my husband.
As you said these stories brought out raw emotions and beautiful memories, may all the Dad's who have passed know how much they were loved and appreciated.
All the best, Sheila

[accobra]

Hi Margaret,Sheila & All,
Thanks for your comments and I am not yet a tour de France candidate. but I just love all
sports. I do agree that your life is mapped out for you and three things that happened to me confirm
this . firstly I was knocked down by a car in Cumberland street when I was five years old and my
luck was that it was a doctor driving the car and in the fifties the speed of cars was a lot slower than today. Secondly I had a head on collision about 25 years ago and the other car involved was on the wrong side of the road. Both cars caught fire and Iwas fortunate enough to get my passengers and myself clear off danger in spite off my whiplash injury at the time.
The third near miss happened on a beach in Barbados where I went snorkeling 100 metres out to a reef for about half an hour and when I tried to swim back to shore the tide had turned.
I remember been told that if this happens to swim parallel with the shore and every so often come into shore a few metres at a time. I tried this swimming on my back and luckily it worked and all the other folks on the beach did not have clue of my near mishap.
It is just a coincidence that iwas born on the 13th??
Seriously in 2006 I had an opportunity through the Charity Scope along with fifty other folk to cycle from Wembley to the Munich Olympic Stadium in Germany.
We cycled to Harwich and caught the Ferry and we cycled via Hamburg and saw many lovely parts of
Germany. We raised nearly 100,000 pounds and as our reward we were able to watch the opening
World Cup match that year on a large screen at the Brandenberg Gate.
My first grandaughter was born with illness and she did not take her first walking steps till she was five years oldand this after 3 operations on her hips and ankles.
Ironically she was horse riding at age four before she walked The surgeon who did the operations in
my book are gods words cannot praise their skill high enough. She is a very bright eleven year old now and is into fashion and clothes now etc.etc.
I live in the Vendee in France and it has a micro climate however this year summer is about 4 weeks later than normal. Margaret what part of the State do you live in ?
I am going to Pittsburg in September to visit my sister.
Finally my mother was moving to Rothesay after selling her house in Largs when sadly she died.
My sister ows that house now.
I get the impression that it is a popular area to retire to.
Funny enough as youngster i could not afford to buy a bike and I always wanted one to do a paper
round but it was not to be. Maybe I am reliving my childhood !!

Best regards to all Reg

Iam going to Pittsburg in September to visit my Sister who has lived there about 40 years.