Welcome to the cheap seats

on miracles

Yesterday I spent the afternoon in Edinburgh with three daughters and one of their friends. We took the cheap train from Alnmouth - cheap because it takes fifteen minutes longer than the fast train. We ate sandwiches and crisps and looked out of the window to spot deer.

About eight months ago I got the cheap train to Edinburgh on a Saturday morning. On that occasion I didn’t have any daughters with me. All I took with me was a small rucksack containing a copy of Twelve Moons and a Sharpie, a make-up bag and a bottle of water. Everything is lighter when I am not travelling with my daughters. Freer. My hands are not holding hands or coats and my eyes are not constantly scanning the space around me in order to count one, two, three, four girls.

I was travelling to Edinburgh to visit some bookshops and sign copies of my book - a mini promotional tour because the paperback had just come out. Well, this is what I had told the person I was going to meet after all of the book promo stuff. Truthfully I was getting the cheap train to Edinburgh to meet a man…