Its just not what it used to be.  After any amount of time that I spend in any other country I start seeing Scotland with Rose tinted glasses. That is not to say that there are not beautiful parts, and it is not to say that all the people are the same, but I am glad that I am reminded every so often that I should not be living here anymore, or anywhere in the UK.

Tonight, I saw two teenagers walking up the street, one with a bottle of buckfast (the fortified wine of choice) in one hand a length of 2×2 in the other hand and wearing a balaclava…a fucking balaclava, like he was in the midst of the gulf war or was about to go film his latest video for the UDF/IRA (delete as your religion deems suitable).  In Scotland you are either Catholic, Protestant or not wanted and with this people can determine which football team you support, where you drink and what school you went to.  Accompanying Mr Balaclava was his friend that was to drunk to walk in a straight line but was managing to drink from hos bottle of electric white (for those that are not in the know this is high alcohol content cider).  I was suitably impressed that he could actually manage to do more than one thing at a time, but surely walking, drinking and thinking was burning out his little brain cell.  All this before 7pm.  My, how we have come along with our education on alcohol Soctland.  I am sure that the 414 million pounds that was spent on building a parliament was really good value for the tax payer of Scotland.  Especially as it was originally going to cost 50 million pounds.  Yes I am sure there was no better cause for the other 364 million pounds, no way would it have been better spent on education, improving the roads (BECAUSE THEY ARE A DISGRACE) or on youth clubs and community centres so that people have other options than drinking on the street.  No, of course, spend the money on having a comfortable place to do your talking and sitting around, I would hate to think that the Scottish MP’s wouldn’t have a comfortable building to do all their talking in.  Of course I am sure that the ministers of Scotland would be quick to point out how some of these issues are issues for Westminster and they cannot do anything abut them, and therefore proving that all the Scottish Parliament will ever be is a talking shop.  Albeit a very comfortable one.

So as you may have worked out, I arrived safely in Scotland on Thursday morning and was greeted by something resembling a woman shouting to “turn your mobile phones off in this area”.  Thankfully it was not my phone in which she was referring to.  I think it is the accent that disturbed me the most though, it really does amaze me how I can come from this country and after leaving for so many years come back and find the accent as painful as I do, certainly with people I don’t know anyway.  The ironic thing that made me laugh was how I was speaking to a woman originally from South Africa tell me how much she loved my accent on the flight over.  So much so, I was speaking to her for almost the full flight.  I laugh at this because my accent is now softer than ever I always try to annunciate my words correctly and to dampen my accent as much as possible.  I have adjusted my accent ever since I went to university so that people could understand me  the first time I speak and wouldn’t be required to repeat myself several times. After all I did go to the only university in Scotland that might as well have been in England due to all the Oxford and Cambridge rejects that attended.

If you are a regular reader you may know that I am in Scotland to visit my grandmother who is ill.  She is now in Strathcarron Hospice in central Scotland.  The people that work in the hospice are amazing, polite, helpful and knowledable.  I know not how they do their job, and I know not how they do it so well.  Every person I have met at the hospice has been so nice and so understanding.  I urge you to donate some money to this hospice.   My grandmothers condition has been deteriorating over the last few days and that is part of the reason for the lack of updates through this site and my twitter feed.  I have spent my time mainly at the hospice watching time go by or reading.

I realise that I am being terribly hard on Scotland in this post, but things have changed a lot since I last lived here for any amount of time.   Having lived in a city like The Hague and visiting other countries for lengthy amounts of time you see how much better life can be elsewhere.  Having come back to Scotland this week my eyes have been opened to what people put up with and what is really happening in the streets.  Many may not agree with my view, but I bet the majority of those that don’t agree are living in Scotland and haven’t been anywhere else, or are politicians working in Scotland.  There has been a time when I have had the passion to do something about it and help out, but that time has passed and the passion has been replaced by apathy and disgust.