Communities

Thursday 24th August 2023

It was fun being on the Scottish buses again today. I forgot how funny people can be without consciously trying. Plus they all speak similar to me. A group of older ladies caught my attention first thing.

'Have you seen Kathy?'

'Naw, I havenae, have you?'

'Naw, naebody has seen her fir aboot 4 months'

'Is she nae with her daughter, aye?'

I never found out the fate of the missing Kathy because the bus filled up at the next stop, but I was thinking about communities within communities and how cool it is to see. Plus the concern is genuine.

I was on my way to meet my cousin but stopped in at a sports shop to try on a specific type of leggings. I bought a pair in South Africa and I realised that when I'm out and about and particularly on travel days, the pocketed leggings are perfect. Plus they are quick drying. The resistance to spending £40- for them was eventually eased when I acknowledged that I get a lot of wear out of them so I bought a different coloured pair.

My cousin is from my dad's side and I was watching her face intently, spotting glimpses of genetic similarity and in gestures. Having lived most of my life far away from my extended family, I Iove hearing about the history and quips of a childhood so different to mine. Plus her perspective and account of my family is fresh and welcomed. I'm so grateful for the internet which has enabled me to connect with family far away and get to know them remotely.

I thought about our conversations on the bus back and I laughed at the thought of being alive in a time period from when we never had a home phone to one where I have a multi functioning tiny computer in my pocket. We never even had a fridge in Scotland before we left for South Africa! My cousin had told me about my mum making a huge pot of porridge on a Saturday night for breakfast. But first, we were marched up the road to church before we could eat it. She remembered our house very clearly and as she spoke the sepia coloured images flashed up in my brain. Images well over 50 years old now. It was a lovely afternoon.