February/March 2009


Well, there were lots of goings on in February. Not least of all that my pals were opening a seafood restaurant in Glasgow - we were down there beforehand having a bit of a clean up and watching the whole thing come together...very exciting!

The night it opened there was a big party - great fun, great music and lots of folk there - and lots of wee tasters from the menu - lovely! I was sitting there at the fabby party in this amazing restaurant thinking, 'only two days ago, I was crawling up on that 30-foot high shelf, brushing sawdust away!'

Anyway, the party has continued ever since. If you like seafood, go and check it out when you're in town. It's the Crabshakk in Finnieston, across from the Ben Nevis bar on Argyll Street..a real treat in store.

The only problem is that I can't keep away! AND, I'm not a seafood fan! Now when I go in the folk who are taking my order don't even ask, they know it's either a fish supper or the most amazing crab cakes! My mouth is watering as I write...!

Also, we had a visit from the Jerseys. Brother, wife and beautiful new niece! They came over for a wee ceremony. Not a naming day, not a Christening, but a wee celebration of Macy. It was a really lovely, special family day.

In March there was a decision to be made - my brothers-in-law were up plastering the FINAL room in the house - hallelujah!

Now, did I want to help them? Or, did I want to babysit for my beautiful god-daughter?

Needless to say, Keeley won and as you can imagine, it was hell!!!

But, on the bright side - after 18 months, lots of building work, hoovering, varnishing, painting and other such DIY, not to mention the amazing DIY accidents, the house is on it's last phase - just the staircase - another case of halleluja I think!!!

Now I feel myself able to do other things like, go and get a job - you know, the Bookstart Thing - singing to kids all day!

A luxurious part of this job is that I get to go to fantastic places in Scotland. You know, places like Rothesay and Dunoon. The latest stop-off was a flight to islay - just amazing.

The place itself is stunning, however, one of the days I went, the sky was as blue as the ocean and the view from the wee tiny plane was awesome. It was as though I was looking at it through GoogleEarth - not really real, but real - if you know what I mean??? I thought I'd died and gone to heaven.

Then, as though that wasn't heavenly enough, I put on the papoose and put the wee baby in - facing outwards. We were in that beautiful Glasgow building that is the Art Galleries. Now when folk look at her, then look at me they say things like 'aww, yer baby's lovely hen' I just smile, in a motherly fashion and agree with them - no need for anyone to know that she's not mine - right??

Anyway, she is mine by proxy, really!

And so, that's it. April sees me touring with Sandra Brown. She's doing her one-woman play - One of Oor Ain - about her belief that her dad was responsible for the disappearance of 12-year-old Moira Anderson from Airdrie in 1957. It's a tragic story and oh, so powerful. Then I come on afterwards to try and cheer folk up!!!

Actually, there is a tenuous link!

One night, whilst I was away writing the material for Answers... I got a phone call from Sandra Brown. She was just talking me through some of the latest developments in her search for Moira Anderson. It is a raw and heart-breaking story. And so, after I'd put the phone down, a nursery rhyme type tune kept going throu my head and I wrote a song called (Moira Anderson) Little Angel. I decided not to put it on the album, but did record it along with the album.

Anyway, the song is now available on a CD single, along with Tragedy Waltz and is for sale at £5 per copy. All proceeds will go directly to the Moira Anderson Foundation.

For more info see http://www.moiraanderson.org The single will also be available to buy at the shows we are doing just now.

And finally, into April - the sun is shining, well it was for a few minutes, I was laying a mini-heli-deck in my back garden and I'm trying to educate myself in the ways of seafood - hmmm might be a long month!!!

See ya

Peace and love

Carol Laula