SCOTS Project - www.scottishcorpus.ac.uk Document : 894 Title : Correspondence from Canada: Letter 46 - 23.06.82 Author(s): 852 Copyright holder(s): Name withheld Text The Maggie 23rd June '82 Dear Mum & Dad, Here I am sitting at my wee desk as the rain lashes down outside. Thunder, the lot. I've never seen rain like it rains here - it just pelts down solidly for hours. Apparently the lightning-storms are spectacular: horror-movie forks, fire-balls, and all, but I've yet to experience that. Life is fine at the moment, Chapter Two is advancing nicely, and I'm going to Quebec on Friday for the weekend with Julian, Ann, and Helen. I'm looking forward to that; I could use a break. But Ch2. should be finished next week, which gives me July to polish off Ch 3. (which should be short and sweet, I hope) and the Introduction and Conclusion (which should be shorter and sweeter). Which means I'll have finished my first book. I reckon that it'll run to about 170 pages, typed, plus notes, so I may be writing asking for money next month sometime.... so beware!!! If you've any intentions of moving house, do it soon while you can... I've still no news from Cairo or Riyadh, so I'm still not thinking past the month of September, when I should be home. It's been a good year; it'll be strange when it's over. I haven't done much that's exciting over the past week or so. I'm still weightlifting with Julian (one... HUP! two... HUP!) and the pain is beginning to go. I haven't had the energy left to jog, though. I keep searching for tell-tale muscle bulges but nothing's happening! And I read Demetrius at a semi-drunken midsummer evening's reading of "A Midsummer Night's Dream", which was enjoyable. So Scotland's out of the World Cup once again... I watched the Brazil game and the New Zealand game. The latter was on the French channel, so I wished I'd Al with me to tell me what was going on! It was a good game, worth staying up to 2.30am for. The game against Brazil was heartbreaking. The Canadians have dredged up Sir Stanley Matthews for the in-the-studio commentary and he's awful. It's the first time the Canajans have televised all the games, and they keep telling us viewers that the World Cup is really important in Europe and everywhere, but the U.S. and Canada, honest! And then they try to explain the offside trap: it's hilarious. I didn't watch the USSR game because I'd heard the score, it was in French again, and it would have meant another late night. And I'm off to Francophone Canada myself on Friday. I keep thinking that I'll have to change my dollars into francs, but of course that's stupid. Quebec's supposed to be a really nice city, despite the language problem. I'll send you a postcard. Anyway, I think that's all my news for now. Oh, I'd appreciate it if you could send over an Edinburgh Festival programme, possibly a Fringe one too, if you can get hold of them. Hope you're keeping well. Best wishes to all, Love, [CENSORED: forename] This work is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. The SCOTS Project and the University of Glasgow do not necessarily endorse, support or recommend the views expressed in this document. Information about document and author: Text Text audience Adults (18+): Audience size: 3-5 Writer knew intended audience: Text details Method of composition: Handwritten Year of composition: 1982 Word count: 542 Text medium Other: airmail Text publication details Part of a longer series of texts: Name of series: Correspondence from Canada Text setting Private/personal: Text type Correspondence/letters: Author Author details Author id: 852 Gender: Male Decade of birth: 1950 Educational attainment: University Age left school: 17 Upbringing/religious beliefs: Protestantism Occupation: University Lecturer Place of birth: Ayr Region of birth: S Ayr Birthplace CSD dialect area: Ayr Country of birth: Scotland Place of residence: Bridge of Weir Region of residence: Renfrew Residence CSD dialect area: Renfr Country of residence: Scotland Father's occupation: Insurance Broker Father's place of birth: Auchinleck Father's region of birth: S Ayr Father's birthplace CSD dialect area: Ayr Father's country of birth: Scotland Mother's occupation: Dental Receptionist Mother's place of birth: Ayr Mother's region of birth: S Ayr Mother's birthplace CSD dialect area: Ayr Mother's country of birth: Scotland Languages: Language: English Speak: Yes Read: Yes Write: Yes Understand: Yes Circumstances: In most everyday situations Language: Portuguese Speak: Yes Read: No Write: No Understand: Yes Circumstances: When trying to communicate with my in-laws Language: Scots Speak: Yes Read: Yes Write: Yes Understand: Yes Circumstances: In domestic/activist circles; reading literature