Dear Cath
I know how miserable you feel at this moment. Those antibiotics feel like they are not only killing all the bacteria in your body but you as well. I know how exhausted your body is from fighting first the surgery and then the infection and now the drugs. I know it feels never-ending and that even watching “Poirot” for seven hours straight doesn’t take all of that away.
So I hope a little distraction might help.
This will be the most mundane post to anyone reading this (sorry!). I’m going to take you to Glasgow with me. On a work trip. Nothing fancy. It’s what I did today — this Tuesday in January.
I took a train and then sat in a seminar all day and then took another train home. But I’m going to take you with me because while I was taking photos of myself sitting in a Pret A Manger and on the train, it felt like I spending the day with you. Or at least I imagined I was.
I hate not being home with you right now. And because I can’t be there, I want you to see exactly what I’m doing while you are waiting to put all this pain and the hospital visits and the nausea behind you. I want you to feel like you were with me and not having to think about when you need to take the next round of antibiotics and worrying about your temperature.
So without further ado, today I .
Woke up at 6:30 am and dragged myself out of bed — cold mornings are the worst. By 7:30 am I was out the door and heading down Princes Street to the train station (first by bus and then by legs). The sun was still an hour from cresting some distant horizon, so the sky was a dark blue with a turquoise blush around the edges:
How many daily commutes have a castle in them? I shouldn’t take it for granted, but I do — daily:
So we’ve past the Castle mound and now we’re almost to the train station. It’s just before the Balmoral clock tower and just after the spires of the Walter Scott monument (blurry photo poof of intense pace of walking — or partial awakeness — or just bad photog skillz):
Mmmm train station! I love trains and train stations even on a weekday morning. They have the same buzz of excitement as an airport without the intensity of airport security and, you know, being in the air. Trains are anti-faff. You’re on the platform and then you’re in the train in minutes:
Oh I almost forgot! My favorite part of train travel — snackies! There’s usually a mini M&S at most larger stations in the UK and it’s fun to get nuts or chocolates or entire picnic lunch avec some mini wiiine! I just got these guys today as it was 8 am and I had already consumed a large bowl of muesli:
So back to the train. The trip from Edinburgh to Glasgow is nice because you go from city to city but in between are these stretches of rolling hills and picturesque pastures (today they were dusted in confectioner’s snow):
But the train was cold so I stayed bundled (and sleepy looking):
About 55 minutes later and we’re in Glasgow, Edinburgh’s larger, less expensive, more relaxed cousin:
I got to Glasgow ahead of schedule so I thought I would stop into Pret. I wasn’t really hungry as I had already had breakie number one at home, but the porridge looked so good and piping hot:
And this is where I spent my day, the Teacher building — home to many-a-seminar:
Seven hours after learning about the intricacies of print, I was back out on Glasgow’s shopping street (remember you stood by David Tennant’s Dr Who’s TARDIS there just 14 months ago?):
By the time I hopped back on the train and walked home I was cold and tired. Back in the flat looking .
And then Matt came home and we ate a pile of (gluten-free, quinoa and rye) toast. As you do after Tuesday Train Travels.
I hope you felt like you were there, Cath! Every heart-pounding intense porridge moment!
I so, so wish I could speed up this process for you and make it so much less painful and exhausting. Just know that you can get through this and it will be over soon, even though it doesn’t feel like it. You see in the photo above I still wear the “lucky charm” necklace all the time –nearly daily. That will work its magic soon if nothing else will.
Love you more than all the train snackies in the world (times infinity),
Lar
I’m so sorry about Cath! And sorry you had to go through it too. I follow you guys and I hate to hear of your health concerns. Much love from Tuscaloosa, AL.
Amy thank you so much for your kind words! And thank you for reading.
xoxox,
Lar
I so enjoyed your “Travels with Lauren”. A train trip sounds perfect just this minute (Avec snackies!!!)
But are all the Glasgow statues topped with traffic cones? If so, Michaelanglo missed some opportunities. David, with traffic cone ect.
Wishing our Catherine a speedy, speedy, recovery
Ditto, Bunkie! Speedy, speedy recovery!!!
And it’s funny you mention it! Good catch with the cone-head. That statue (with the cone) is kind of a symbol for Glasgow and they’ve been coning the Duke of Wellington since the 1980s:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equestrian_statue_of_the_Duke_of_Wellington,_Glasgow
I’ve seen a few cones in the Edinburgh too, but none so prominent. Michelangelo — such a lack of foresight!
xoxoxox,
Lar
I really enjoyed your day in the life post! I hope Cath feels 1000x better soon.
Thank you so much, Kroot!
xoxox,
Lar
I’ve read your blog for years, but never left a comment until now. And I’m doing so now because your health stories have really moved me and I admire the great love you have for each other as siblings. Thanks for sharing that with us through your posts. Also, I didn’t think anyone else my age–I think I’m close in age to you gals–shared my intense interest in/love for “Poirot”! (When my sibling passed away recently, Poirot was great in helping to distract me from the pain of grieving.) Anyway, thanks so much for sharing your stories and I look forward to more. I hope Cath feels better soon!
Hi Lupe!
Thank you so much for commenting! And yes, we do very, very much love “Poirot” — our friends always tease us, but we are proud Poirot watchers ;D
I’m so sorry to hear that one of your siblings died. I can’t imagine your pain and grief.
xoxoxo,
Lar
Love this post!!! Would love to see more like this one, for both of you 🙂 Day in the life in Decatur (I feel like I miss a lot of things here that I could be doing) and Day in the life in some place in Europe 🙂
Sending good vibes to Cath!
HI CL!
I’ll definitely do more. It’s so funny though because I know some people would be like “so, you got on a train a went to Glasgow? uh huh.” So I’m so glad you liked it!
Thanks for all the good vibes for Cath!
xxoxo,
Lar
I agree with CurryLove, more “a day in the life” please. Cross country train rides may seem mundane when you’re immune to the coolness of there being castles all along the way, but for those of us in a country completely free from castles and cross-country trains, it’s utterly fascinating and breathtakingly gorgeous.
Thanks Lar,
BFOC
Oh Lar! This post made me miss you- and Edi- so much! (I’ve had a semi-completed email to you sitting in my drafts for nearly two weeks). I think about you tons and I shall catch up with you soon.
In the meantime, I’ll send loads of healing thoughs and sunshine-y goodness to you, Cath. I hope the remainder of your recovery is speedy and incident free!
I’m sure it’s hard for you guys to be apart, especially when things are rough. But what’s one teeny ocean among twinnies?! And it’s nice that the rest of us get to live vacariously through your “mundane” day, Lar. I would have liked to hop on that train with you this morning (but might have ducked out of the seminar early to go seek Vietnamese noodles!).
Love to you both!
Rianne
Hi Rianne!
I miss you guys so much! If you had been on the train with me I totally would have skived and got noodles with you!
I can’t wait to catch up via email, but don’t worry, I know you have a lot going on — a whole new person on the way!
I hope you guys are settling in well to Cali.
xoxoxo
Lar
Wow, Cath, I didn’t know you were going through so much! I am sending all kinds of good vibes for a speedy and healthy recovery!! XOXO
Thanks, Shannon! Cath will so appreciate your kind words!
x Lar