no hotel and no expenses = bloody cheek!

I am off on my yearly crusade to 'the big smoke' - GLASGOW - on Wednesday of this week to the annual SETT exhibition and conference at the SECC. (boring teacher thing hahaha)

I have been going for the last goodness knows how many years and have usually been put up in a nice hotel in the city, had expenses paid and had a lovely evening meal (and drinks) at the Moat House. This year however, no such luxuries!!

I have booked myself into a few seminars and am expected to attend one which STARTS at 6.00pm!!! Well, with no slap up meal and drinks and with no hotel to rest my weary head, I think I may have to miss that seminar and be heading into town or heading home along the motorway.

Previous years have found myself and colleagues thoroughly enjoying the luxuries of being a "Masterclass" member and of being a "GLOW Mentor" - and rolling out of the Moat House at midnight, being taxi driven back to the hotel and then indulging in a few more liquid refreshments. Luckily I don't do breakfasts as I was never presentable at that ungodly hour!

So, Wednesday of this week I shall be fighting my way through the Glasgow traffic and heading for the Armadillo and after a good few hours of listening, walking and purchasing within the walls of the SECC, I may just be tempted into town before heading back throught the nose-to-tail traffic.

Why do I do it every year?

WHY??

I sat in shock watching the terrible terror attack on Glasgow Airport unfold yesterday. I felt a false sense of security up here in Scotland, well away from the power base of the UK and all previous terror attacks. How wrong was that!

This is the first terror attack in Scotland. Even through all of the troubles in Northern Ireland, when Britain was under threat of attacks, Scotland was never touched. I am actually struggling to come to terms with some insane fundamentalists targetting a busy airport, in summer, on the first weekend of the school holidays when families are heading to sunnier climates.



Two men drove a large 4x4 vehicle into the main terminal building just after 3pm yesterday (Saturday 30th June 2007). I have been to Glasgow airport many times and how they managed to pull this off, I have no idea! Thankfully the vehicle never got into the building and both occupants of the 4x4 were arrested by police. I dread to think what would have happened if a 4x4 truck laden with petrol and gas canisters was to have entered the terminal.

Thankfully no one was injured, apart from one of the occupants of the 4x4. You can read more about the detailed facts here.

Terror has come to Scotland! I could get all political now but I shan't - I'll keep my thoughts to myself for the moment. BUT .... (I knew I couldn't keep quiet for long) it does reek of hypocrisy that our former Prime Minister, who took us into an illegal war in Iraq, has the audacity to become our Middle East PEACE envoy!!! Are his actions coming back to haunt us all? Is the fact that another Scottish man is now Prime Minister? (Tony Blair was born in Edinburgh) Is it time we left Iraq and stopped trying to impose our democracy onto others? All I do know for certain is that I don't want to be constantly looking and wondering .. 'is that suspicious?' ... 'should I report that?' ...

What a day :o)

I was picked up by 3 friends at 11.30am and off we set for Glasgow! We were on a mission to "pop" my friend Karen's Ikea cherry. Unbelievably she had never set foot in an Ikea store. Mission accepted ... and off we set.

Travelling towards Glasgow we were met with a sea of red brake lights on the dual carriageway ahead. I had the bright idea of taking the slip road to our left and bypassing the trouble on the road. That would have been a great idea had I not suddenly realised that the slip road was not the one I thought it was .... and so began the magical mystery tour!

We did arrive at Braehead in Glasgow .... only an hour behind schedule .. but safe and sound ... although the driver was a little frazzled by this point.

We went straight for the food hall in Braehead Shopping Centre. For those not in the know ... Braehead is a huge shopping mall filled with stores of all description ... here's a wee piccy to let you see what I mean ...



After lunch and a couple of hours shopping we set off for the big blue store .. Ikea. We walked round the place for quite some time. I am a big kid in these places and I have to "test" al of the chairs, beanbags, sofas and beds for comfort. This done and our purchases paid for it was back to the car. Parking in the first spotted space when we arrived seemed like a good idea in the sun. Now in the rain and having to walk halfway to Stirling (a slight exaggeration) to find the space didn't bring the same thoughts to my mind.

Tam (the driver for this mission) decided that he wouldn't ask for directions and he took us home! Well I say home .... but via the whole of the centre of Glasgow, the Gorbals etc etc .. you name it ... we were passed or through it. It did give us the chance to see parts of the city we hadn't seen before.

I thought we needed a wee break and refreshment so I phoned ahead to my favourite Italian restaurant and booked us in for 7.30pm. Now you can tell from this time check that we had been on the go for quite some time!

Meal finished, Karen's Ikea cherry had, smiles and laughter all the way .... what a way to spend a relaxing Sunday PMSL