Glasgow.........

I watched the final episode of Shameless Series 2 this morning - I had tivoed it but this morning was the first chance I had had to watch it. I think that UK is now onto Series 5?  Not sure we'll get that far over here at all.  Have to admit I cheated by reading the plot guide online.  So I knew that Fiona would go off with Steve in the end...and now that is all done and dusted I am not sure I will even follow it anymore as I think that was the main story line that interested me....the love affair with the family in the way, and odds stacked against them... the whole loving the person despite the family being around all the time......

 (Oh and the fact that the Steve and Fiona (James McAvoy & Anne-Marie Duff) are married now in real life...seems to make it even more romantic....)

Plus of course I think James McAvoy is a wonderful actor and would watch an advert even about paint drying if he were in it.  And this was before I even knew that he was from Scotland.  I had seen an interview with him after I had seen him as the plummy voiced Steve in Shameless and was amazed with his accent- that someone with such a strong Scottish brogue could do an English accent so very very well.  It is almost shocking to hear him in interviews even though I am sure his accent is toned down somewhat since his move into mainstream movies. 

I hear Glasgow has smartened itself up since the last time I was there (1990s).  It seemed a bit scary to me back then - maybe I was just a bit too green.....

Putting James to one side for a moment.... (if we must) I had a boyfriend from the same part of Glasgow (Scotstoun)  many moons ago when I was at University myself in St. Andrews.  We were the most unlikely couple ever.  Apprently he first asked me to dance with him at a Ceilidh  (a Scottish dance) and I have no recollection of this.  That would have been the one where my drinks were spiked, I fell out of my dress (literally) and was put to bed with a trash can beside my bed incase I puked/died of alcoholic poisoning.  In the morning I woke up excited about the Ball that night.....then realised that my head was throbbing and why was I in my ball gown the night before the event?  Then things clicked.  I was amazed to have been included in group photos.....and then lots of people were telling me things I had said/done....it was not good.  It was an eye opener.  It was after this event some 18 years ago that I really decided to quit the drink - it sort of scared me that even though this was not my choice - to get as wasted as I did - there were dangers involved - my outcome that night could have been so much worse.

But Mr Glasgow forgave me and we had another try.  He was a bad boy to say the least.  I wonder whether this was some of the attraction?  I had never really met anybody like him before.  He grew up on a very rough estate...he knew every drug out there....he never had any money....he had loads of brothers and sisters....I remember he had no clue at all what I meant by 'Spag Bol' or even 'Spaghetti Bolognese' when I cooked it one time.  We were poles apart.,  But it clicked.  It really really clicked.  And his accent - was to    d i  e     for.  Seriously.  And it wasn't as though I hadn't dated accents before.......It was a whirlwind romance....but it just came at the wrong time in both our lives.  I was on the rebound, he had just had his heart broken and was treading very very carefully......so we both met somewhere in the middle, summer came - he went back to Glasgow and I went down to England and then I broke his heart again it seems. The next year we were both back in the same place and we were together a little but there was always the underlying history that kept it from clicking fully again......But still to this day, a Glaswegian accent can so take me back - ridiculously so - despite being married now to a fellow Brit.......ah well.

And Mr Glasgow - he still isn't married.  I am not sure he ever will be.  He's still well playing the field and having a good life for himself.  And despite his now living in England I know for a fact he still has the accent.  And sounds very very similar to Mr McAvoy.  But best not dwell on how I know...........