Been quite a while

I haven't posted here for quite a while but today is my 51st Birthday and I have been looking through and trying to catch up with a few things I have either forgotten about or just have not had time for.
I notice it's been 6 months since I was last here and so much has happened I hardly know where to start. I suppose to follow on from my last post I would have to report that Adam didn't get into Medical School, which is a shame, but we don't know how they choose people and I know it's not a lack of intelligence on his part so I would have to put it down to either bad luck or fate in that it is not meant to be. He has been offered a place at Edinburgh and St Andrews Universities to do Chemistry and Pharmacology and St Andrews seems to have won. He's looking forward to it but first he is going to have a gap year in India! How diverse is that!! As well as all this happening he has just celebrated his 18th Birthday!

Fraser is doing very well this year and has achieved much of what he has wanted to do. Following on from his distinction in his Grade6 cello he is now a member of the West of Scotland Symphony Orchestra, an orchestra of very good standard, and No2 cello in the Glasgow Symphony orchestra. As well as his music, his acting is coming on well and he has been accepted to the SYT course this summer. All that and being invited to take part in a Shakespeare festival in May is keeping him a very busy young man.

Kate is continuing to keep us all on our toes and never fails to amaze us with her wit and intelligence. Quite amazing really at the age of 3!! She sang in her first concert with Colourstrings a couple of weeks ago and really impressed with her sense of rhythm and pitch, well I was impressed, I'm her Dad!!

Caroline has reached the grand old age of 50 and while she was not looking forward to it she has enjoyed a wonderful week of celebration with her friends and family. She has so many wonderfully attentive friends who have demonstrated to Caroline what she means to them. I know what she means to this family and I hope she has seen that at least this week. We love her to bits and for somebody who is so giving it was nice to give something back.

I'm continuing to teach and play. I have found this year to be particularly hard. It's been a combination of being spread too thin amongst the schools and keeping up with the rest of the family! I think I will have to cut back next year in order to try and get the best from the children as well as give them more. It is the only way to teach. If you spread yourself to thinly then you cannot possibly give yourself totally to everybody. There are some who I think are more deserving of my time and who have demonstrated to me that they would welcome more input. There are others who I could see far enough and no matter how much you do there will never be any recognition of what you are trying to do never mind trying to help you achieve it.

Next year will be an important year for me and it will probably be a year of prioritizing. Some people will not like it but at my stage I really don't give monkeys!!