This one is for Irving Bell

 At Milntown this afternoon to see Langholm play Haddington I was given a telling off by Irving Bell about not posting any blogs recently so this hopefully will make up for it. On a cold frosty day but perfect conditions for open rugby Langholm took the field and by half time were 8-0 up. The second half saw Langholm pinned into their own half for 30 minutes during which Haddington scored a try, conversion and a penalty so were in the lead 8-10. Then in the last 15 minutes Langholm found their way and scored a lovely try a few minutes from the end and converted it to lead 15-10 until the final whistle 4 minutes later. These were some of my companions at the game and what a bunch they are. Irving, Tom, and Johnnie.

Haddington in red pressing the Langholm line early in the second half. 

This was half time

The final score

This was taken on Friday and shows them erecting Langholm's Christmas Tree and it must be one of the biggest ones in the country.

On Wednesday my daughter Fiona joined myself and Tom for our weekly walk and we did the 4.5 mile Kerr Triangle on a very damp and dour day but we enjoyed her company. She was over to see us to celebrate her 50th Birthday.  

To celebrate her birthday Fiona had fixed up a reunion with her 2 flatmates from Glasgow University days where she shared a flat with Helen and Graham for 2 years. Graham has spent most of his working life in Musical Theatre and appeared in many shows including Phantom and Les Miserable in the West End. His latest is a first time appearance as a Panto Dame in Newbury for a 6 week run. This is him on the left. Fiona and husband Mario flew to Bristol on Friday evening and then met Helen and her husband Matthew at Bristol airport on Saturday morning and they all went to Newbury for a 5.00pm show staring Graham as the Panto Dame. They then went for a meal after the show and will return to Newcastle and Edinburgh on Sunday morning.  

 

It's been an eventful week for the Graham family with our son Fraser starting a new job in USA. He has left Apple after 11 years and is now Director of Software Services at GM (General Motors). Its a change of industry but cars are now computers on wheels and GM are planning to go all EV in the future so this is the way forward and an interesting development in his exciting career. We are very proud of his achievements in USA. We are also very proud of our Fiona's achievements in her work at Newcastle University as a Lecturer in Speech Therapy. This photo was on Langholm Common Riding Day when he was over for a week with our grandson Tommy.

On a final note today I had great pleasure in messaging my grandson Tommy that Newcastle had beaten Chelsea today 4-1 at St James Park. This is Tommy in the visitors dressing room at the stadium during a special visit there in July. He loves his Football and plays regularly for a team in Silicon Valley where his full time coach is from Aberdeen and runs loads of Junior teams in the area. With this week being Thanksgiving in USA the family are up in the Sierra Nevada mountains and in about another month or so will be going on regular skiing trips up there. I think Tommy loves to Ski as much as he loves his Football. I deliberately say Football as of course in the US its Soccer but after his visit to Newcastle United in July Tommy announced its Football from now on.