A Long Overdue Update Part III
Autumn 2022
Thanks so much for coming back to catch up on our first year (and a bit) in Scotland! As the Summer sun faded and the days grew shorter, life in St Andrews began to feel more like regular life. Though the sight of the North Sea would still stop me in my tracks, and Scott would still geek out over working on some of the most well known courses in the world, our family had begun to settle in to life in Scotland.
Finishing off the tournament season, Scott, following in my footsteps some twenty years previous, worked the Dunhill Links tournament. Though much smaller in scale than The Open, working a professional tournament is always exciting! As Summer gave way to Autumn, Scott’s work hours grew shorter. This meant he was able to catch up on some sleep after months of 5:30 (and earlier!) starts followed by late evenings—a result of solo parenting in the evenings (and all the work that entails) whilst I was in the office working.
For Hollis the return to school meant reconnecting with pals and returning to reading, rugby, and some autumn golf. His success with is bicycle in the summer meant that most days he rode his bike to school. Our trips to and from school routinely made (and still make) me feel like a mother attempting to organise her ducklings for their first outing into the big wide world. Hollis’s love of reading started to take off and once he got some momentum, he loved sitting with his school reading books and later books from home and the library. He has always loved books, and to see him finally able to read on his own was and continues to be such a delight.
Thomas started his final year of nursery school in 2022, and he went from slightly tentative to confident older child in what seemed like the blink of an eye. We continued our Saturday morning adventures, leaving for swimming as the mornings grew colder and wetter, then making our way to the rugby club to meet up with Scott, Hollis, and David. A big highlight of the Autumn for Thomas was getting to see my parents during their two weeks with us in October.
While Hollis and Thomas went off to school, David and I enjoyed the last of our time home together. We started off with a bang, toilet training David, meaning that after seven years of nappies/diapers our family was officially diaper free!! When term started at the Uni, David got to spend Friday mornings with a dear friend (and swim pal) of mine. Even a year later he still asks when he’s going to her house, just him, for hot chocolate. While Hollis was busy crafting his bicycle riding skills, David worked on his scooter skills. This boy loves speed and he loves doing ‘ricks’ (tricks) and showing off.
On our way to swimming lessons and rugby training via the viaduct, one of our most frequented walking paths when heading into town, and a great place to watch the seasons change. The return of Uni students meant I got my chance to get back in the classroom! I have long loved teaching, and the chance to be a tutor and meet with students on a weekly basis and discuss course material was such a joy. Tutoring over here is similar to being a TA or a graduate teaching assistant in the US. It’s less lesson planning and more marking (grading) and facilitating the students’ processing what they’re learning.
With David still home it meant my time in the office was solely in the afternoons and evenings. After a day of being Mom it was always difficult to find the energy to put into research and learning (still working on German so I can interact with the mounds of research the German Hebrew Bible scholars have produced). A bright spot in this area was the childcare grant that St Mary’s piloted. After hearing from students (me) that there was a gap in affordable childcare for international students, the school decided to offer a grant for the second term of the school year. I applied and received the grant! I was able to enrol David for two mornings a week from January—March, which was perfect as he was enrolled to start at Canongate with Thomas in April after the Easter Holidays.
The St Andrews Cathedral ruins in early October. This is my view as I get on my bike and head back home from my office. Autumn also began to test and strengthen my love of cold water swimming. The sea grew colder and my swims grew shorter, but they did not cease. After purchasing some neoprene gloves and some thicker booties, my swim pal Stephanie (David’s hot chocolate dealer) and I were regularly in the water, rain or shine, and often in the evenings after I finished up in the office.
My swim pal Stephanie and me after an evening dook in November.
Autumn also brought our first visitors from the US! We were lucky enough to get a day with Andrew during his and Isabel’s trip to Scotland. Thomas happened to be home sick that day and was quickly enamoured with Uncle Drew. We spent the day together at our home, chatting and laughing as ever.
Next was a long awaited, two week visit from Mimi and Papom (or Molly and Tom as you who are not their grandchildren may know them). After hiking the West Highland Way together, and generously overcoming their jet lag before spending time with their eager grandchildren (and of course their son-in-law and daughter!), they arrived at the St Andrews Bus Station and we basically attacked them with hugs and tears and laughter. We spent their time here showing them the places, people, and activities we love around our new home. And Scott and I got a couple of date nights, one of which included seeing a dear, dear friend of mine—the second friend I made during my junior year in St Andrews as a matter of fact! (Hi East!) She and her husband were here celebrating her 40th birthday and Scott and I got to enjoy a wonderful celebratory dinner with them. Saying goodbye to Mimi and Papom was difficult for all of us, and we all felt their absence long after they left. (Prepare for a photo dump . . . .)
The days grew darker, and I began lighting candles each evening as the boys and I returned home from school pick up. We snuggled hot water bottles and found a few more blankets to pile on laps as the weather grew colder. There is no time I understand this country’s love of tea more than when Autumn creeps toward Winter.
